Whatever Happened to Forever?
by Liar2198
Summary: After almost four years, Ezra finally meets Aria again... Along with a daughter. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Dark

1. Dark

Aria dropped the keys in her right hand into her handbag while her left hand held an iPhone. She tried to open the door to her apartment once again, making sure it was locked and finally walked towards the elevator.

Although the walk wasn't long, a million thoughts went through her head. She was worried about bumping into people she knew back in high school. What would they think when they know her current 'situation?' Aria had been a single parent for three years and now had just started college in Hollis. She had applied to NYU three-almost four years ago and was accepted. But that was before she knew that she was going to have a child of her own. She couldn't stand the idea of killing an innocent child so she kept it. Of course having to take care of a baby, she couldn't take classes. So she declined the offer to be a student there and just stayed with Spencer in her loft in New York. Telling her parents weren't so much of a problem. They weren't even as mad as she thought they would be when she told them who the father was. The father. Telling the father was another story. Suddenly the device in her hand rang and she quickly picked up when she saw that it was her mother, Ella.

"Aria, are you on your way here yet? I have to get to my doctor's appointment in 45 minutes! I can't possibly leave Abigail alone," Ella was the only one who called Abby by her complete first name.

"I'll be there in 20 minutes," Aria into her iPhone as she glanced at her watch.

"Alright, don't be late. Love you," without waiting for an answer, Ella hung up. It wasn't that she was mad at Aria. It was just a habit. Everyone commented on how it was rude of Ella when they first noticed it, but she didn't do it on purpose and everyone knew by now.

She slipped the handy gadget into the pocket in her vintage mini dress and pressed the down button of the elevator, which instantly opened with a ding. She walked in and got a glance of a guy who stood at the back corner, but couldn't really see his face because he stood in a dark spot. Aria was about to press the button with an L carved on it when she realized that its light was already on, and figured that the guy behind her had beat her to it before she came in.

Ezra watched the woman in front of him tap her heels on the ceramic beneath them. The clean black ceramic floor was probably the only thing from this century that was a part of the elevator. He observed her long black loose curls that cascaded down her back and the leather jacket that hugged her body perfectly over a white vintage dress. Ezra couldn't help but stare. He watched her glance at her watch a couple of times until her phone suddenly rang.

"Hey Spence," Aria's voice filled the room and Ezra immediately recognized it. His heartbeat sped up and he became alert. At first he thought it was the voice of someone he knew, but realized that he was probably just hallucinating. The girl he was thinking of was a thousand miles away, probably drinking a cup of nonfat latte while shopping in SoHo. But then she spoke again.

"No, I'm on my way to Ella's right now," Aria replied Spencer's question of whether or not Aria needed help picking up her three year old daughter.

"Aria?" Ezra involuntary said his thoughts out loud and immediately regretted it, because the woman in front of him couldn't be his ex-girlfriend. But he was wrong.

Aria whipped around to the sound of her name and her jaw dropped when she came face to face to the last person she wanted to see. Ezra went pale and couldn't seem to form any words.

"Ezra…" Aria whispered mostly to herself, not believing that this was actually happening. And then everything went dark.**  
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**Hi, this is my first ever fanfic so please review! I accept critiques too! :D**


	2. Abby

2. Abby

_Aria whipped around to the sound of her name and her jaw dropped when she came face to face to the last person she wanted to see. Ezra went pale and couldn't seem to form any words._

_ "Ezra…" Aria whispered mostly to herself, not believing that this was actually happening. And then everything went dark._

At first Aria thought she fainted but she heard Spencer babbling in her ear. She realized that the elevator had stopped and the lights went out.

"Did you just say Ezra or am I hearing things? Please tell me that I'm hearing things 'cause I really don't have time fo- Aria? Aria, are you there?" Spencer's voice became even louder in the small silent space of the elevator.

"I'm going to have to call you back," Aria said and in a swift motion hung up, never breaking eye contact with Ezra even though she can barely see him.

Blinding emergency lights came on and it took the two former lovers a few seconds to adjust to the light.

"Aria?" Ezra finally said and Aria can hear the confusion in his voice. "What are you doing here?" He wrinkled his forehead, confirming Aria's suspicion about his uncertainty.

"I-I wanted to go downstairs, so I took the elevator," Aria tried to think of a better lie, but she was still in shock. The father of her child was standing a few feet away from her and he had no idea. But then again, it wasn't all Aria's fault. She didn't choose to not tell Ezra.

"You know that's not what I mean. What are you doing _here_?" Ezra quickly caught on to Aria's attempt to avoid his question.

"I…um…I'm visiting a friend," Aria lied. Ezra seemed to try figure out whether or not Aria's telling the truth, but it didn't take him long to find out.

"You used to lie better than that," Ezra knew her well enough to know when Aria did and didn't lie. And she lied a lot. "Aria, what are you really doing here?"

"I live here," Aria sighed, knowing that lying anymore wouldn't help her at all.

"What do you mean you live here? You're supposed to be in NYU majoring English and living with Spencer… You were back and you didn't tell me?" Ezra's voice elevated a little, but he sounded more disappointed and heartbroken than angry. Aria chose to ignore his question and walked over to the emergency call button.

"Hello? Is anyone there? There are two people stuck in the elevator and I'm kind of in a hurry, so can you fix this thing fast?" Aria said to the speaker before glancing at her watch again.

"The maintenance man will be here in two hours, looks like you'll have to wait," a male southern accent boomed over the tiny speaker.

"Are you sure there's nothing you can do?" Aria tried again.

"Sorry Ma'am, my hands are tied," the man answered again, and Aria started to panic. She paced back and forth in the small space and fiddled with her jacket.

"What are you so worried about?" Ezra asked as he leaned on the cold elevator and slid down to the floor.

"What are you doing?" Aria asked, bewildered by Ezra's sudden decision to sit and relax with his feet stretched.

"I'm not going to stand up for two whole hours, " Ezra said oblivious to Aria's wonder, as if the answer was obvious.

"Right… Two hours," Aria sighed again and continued her pacing.

"Where do you have to be anyway?" Ezra asked again, getting curious.

"Ella's place," Aria said, still deep in thought.

"Oh yeah, I heard you say that in your phone call with… Spencer. Right?" Ezra was listening intently to her phone call earlier.

"Spencer! Thank you!" Aria speed dialed Spencer's number on her iPhone and got connected straightaway.

"Aria! What happened before?" Spencer sounded as if she had been waiting for Aria's call ever since she hung up on her.

"Long story, but I need you to pick up… do that thing that you offered to do earlier. I can't exactly talk right now. I'll tell you why later," Aria spoke rather quickly, not wanting to waste any time.

"Got it, promise to talk later?" Spencer was determined to know what had happened.

"Promise! Thank you so much, you're a life saver!" Aria was practically jumping up and down, glad that she had Spencer to help at times like these.

"Anytime," Spencer hung up and Aria turned back to Ezra who still sat on the cold hard floor, but didn't look as happy as he did before.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ezra looked straight into Aria's eyes.

"Tell you what?" Aria's voice was caught in her throat and Ezra noticed.

"That you were back. Why? Is there something else you didn't tell me?" Ezra was starting to suspect that Aria had something to hide but didn't decide to push the subject.

"No, not at all," Aria had calmed down after she knew that Spencer had taken care of her problem and was now leaning on the other side of the elevator.

"Aria, we broke up because we couldn't stand having a long distance relationship when you were studying in NYU. So when you got back, why didn't you tell me?" Ezra was worried he had done something wrong to upset her, that she didn't want to be with him anymore not just because of the distance between them.

"I had things to take care of," Aria looked down at her studded heels, not daring to look at Ezra. The truth was, she did have things to take care of. Things she couldn't tell Ezra. And on the other hand, how was she supposed to tell him? Aria had tried to contact Ezra after she found out that she was carrying his child, but he was nowhere to be found. She called his apartment, asked a few people they both knew, but no one seemed to know where he was. Ella had said that Ezra didn't work in Rosewood High School anymore. She didn't know where else to look. But she didn't want him to know that she looked for him. If he did then he would ask why and then Aria would have to tell him about Abby and it's too late to get him involved now. It wasn't fair to him either if she just dropped such a bomb on him out of nowhere.

"Was it something I did or say or-" Ezra stood up next to Aria.

"Yes," Aria lied, again. She forced herself to look at Ezra and he saw the hurt in her eyes when she answered him. But he knew that what he saw wasn't pain caused by him. It was for saying yes.

"Why don't I believe that?" Ezra saw a tear slid down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. Aria missed this. She missed having someone that knew what she was thinking and felt just by a single look. She missed having someone that knew every bone in her body and how to treat her. She missed being held in the arms of someone she truly loved. Aria missed Ezra. But she can't. It was too late to tell him what she'd hid for him all this time. It would break his heart and Aria just couldn't do that to him. "What's wrong?" Ezra broke Aria away from her thoughts.

"Nothing," Aria gave him a faint smile and for the first time since she met him after three years, actually observed him. He didn't change a bit except for his now slightly longer hair. And now that she paid attention, Ezra was more in shape. His muscles showed as they flexed, but they weren't too bulky either. He looked… perfect. Before either of them knew what they were doing, their faces grew closer and closer. Ezra's heartbeat sped up but before he could do what he had waited for what seems like forever, Aria walked away to the other side of the elevator.

"What are _you _doing here?" Aria asked after clearing her throat, before Ezra could say anything.

"I was visiting a friend. Hardy lives here," Ezra explained his being here, motioning upstairs.

"I meant my question the way you meant yours. What are you doing in Rosewood?"

"I live here… remember?" Ezra was genuinely confused by Aria's question. He had been here all along, what was she talking about?

"You weren't around three years ago," Aria was starting to get confused too.

"You know about that?" Ezra had decided to take his mind off of things after his break up with Aria. He left for California hoping to get a clean slate. Unsuccessfully, of course. After more than two years, Ezra still thought about Aria. He thought about giving her a call but decided against it. They didn't exactly end things on a good note. The break up was first about the literal distance between them. But then the fight became more about trust issues and their past and everything that's been thrown their way. They finally came to a conclusion that maybe they were just not meant to be together. Maybe all the bumps in the road were the universe's way of telling them to spare the heartbreaks and just go their own separate ways.

Ezra suddenly realized something. How would Aria know that he wasn't around until just a few months ago? Unless…

"Did you look for me?" It might all be in his head, but he has to ask. Before Aria could say anything, the male southern accent was back and told both of them that the maintenance man came early and had fixed the elevator. A few silent seconds passed and they could hear the whirring of the elevator. The usual dim light bulbs replaced the emergency lights, and the elevator doors opened. Aria hurried out but before she could escape, Ezra grabbed her hand.

"Aria, we need to talk," Ezra needed to find out why Aria acted the way she did.

"I know," Aria's voice was soft and barely heard but Ezra knew what she said. Suddenly someone's voice rang out in the empty hallway.

"Hey, Abby's in the car. I thought we could go get some ice cream and th- Ezra…" Spencer paled as soon as she spotted Ezra.

"Spencer, good to see you," Ezra let go of his grasp on Aria's hand. But instead of answering the familiar man in front of her, Spencer just looked from Aria to Ezra and back again. The two girls shared a look and Aria shook her head. Spencer seemed to ask Aria if Ezra knew about Abby and understood that he didn't by Aria's head shake.

"Hi," Spencer plainly greeted Ezra and pulled Aria away. "We need to be somewhere so…" Spencer waved goodbye and dragged Aria with her. Just as Aria and Spencer reached the doorway, Ezra asked the question Aria had dreaded all this time.

"Who's Abby?" and Aria stopped dead in her tracks.


	3. Acquaints

3. Acquaints

_Just as Aria and Spencer reached the doorway, Ezra asked the question Aria had dreaded all this time._

"_Who's Abby?" and Aria stopped dead in her tracks._

Aria looked over her shoulder and looked Ezra straight in the eyes.

"She's the reason I didn't tell you I was back," Aria quickly walked towards Spencer's car with her best friend in tow. She didn't dare wait around for Ezra's response.

Once they got in the car, Spencer drove without any particular destination. Aria didn't say anything and just watched her daughter napping in the backseat through the rearview mirror. The two women just sat in comfortable silence until Spencer finally pulled up in front of a café. She couldn't take it anymore; she had to know what happened in the five hours she left for a meeting.

"Aria, are you okay?" Spencer turned in her seat to face Aria who was looking out the window.

"Yeah I think I'm fine. I can't believe he's back," Aria shook her head in disbelief and rested her head on her right arm, which was propped up on the door.

"About that, what actually happened?" Spencer glanced at Abby from time to time while Aria explained everything from getting home from morning classes to making her way to Ella's when she bumped into Ezra. Out of everyone she was worried to meet, Ezra didn't come to mind. She still thought he was gone.

"So now he's back?" Spencer was concerned about what this would mean for Aria and Abby. She cared about Abby so much. After all, she is her goddaughter.

"What am I supposed to tell him? I mean, should I? What would he think when he finds out the truth?" Aria was on the edge of tears. She couldn't stand the idea of Ezra hating her. He had a right to know his own daughter, his own flesh and blood. But he couldn't. Because Aria didn't try hard enough to find him. That's reason enough to hate her, right?

As if Spencer could read her mind, she hugged Aria and handed her a tissue, which Aria quickly took and dab under her eyes. "You tried your best to get a hold of him, there was nothing more you could've done." Spencer tried to comfort Aria and it seemed to work, because no tears were spilled.

"I know, but do you think I should just straightly tell him?" Aria honestly couldn't think of any way to tell him about Abby. It's not like she could just knock on his door and say 'Hey, meet your daughter!'

"I think it's best that he knows from you than somebody else," Spencer let go of Aria and started up the car.

"You're right," Aria sighed.

"I'm always right," Spencer said half joking. They both chuckled and Spencer started to drive.

"Thank you," Aria said suddenly. "For everything."

"I'll always be here Aria. Especially after all the crap we went through in high school," Spencer pointed out the whole A ordeal, which ended shortly after they graduated.

Aria took out her phone and found a new message from Hanna. "Hey, Emily is at Hanna's. Let's just go there now," Aria had planned for Abby to have a play date with Emma, Hanna's almost three years old daughter. After the girls graduated, Hanna and Caleb got married and didn't waste any time to start making a family of their own. Unlike Aria, Hanna juggled being a parent and taking classes at Hollis. Now she's almost graduated and Caleb has a successful, rather popular, electronic store. The couple had planned that once Hanna was done with college, Caleb would go to Hollis. They couldn't both go at the same time because one of them had to work.

The trio walked into Hanna and Caleb's mansion. It was technically a house but incredibly huge. Okay, so Caleb's electronic store was a huge success and more than just 'rather popular'. They make almost as much money as the Hastings. Almost. Abby immediately ran into Hanna's arms the moment she saw her and Hanna picked up and twirled her around. Who knew Hanna would be great with kids when she grew up.

"What did I tell you about running?" Aria reminded her daughter about the dangers of running around.

"You're mom is no fun, is she Abigail?" Abby giggled in Hanna's arms. She loved being called Abigail by Hanna.

"Emily's in the garden with Emma," Caleb came down the stairs towards the girls, who were seated on stools in the kitchen. Spencer had taken out two pints of non-fat rum raisin ice cream and a couple of spoons. By now, a quarter of each pint was already down her and Aria's throats.

"Speak of the devil," Spencer pointed her spoon towards Emily who held Emma in her arms and was walking towards the group.

"Auntie Ems!" Abby cried out.

"Hey Abby! Look who's here," Emily let Emma sit on the kitchen counter and Hanna did the same with Abby. The two girls played together while Caleb approached Hanna and hugged her from behind.

"So what's with the ice creams? I've been with Hanna long enough to know that that means trouble," Caleb said to Spencer and Aria, eyeing the spoons in their mouths.

"Aria," Spencer said, signaling that she probably should be the one who tells the others what had happened. Emily quickly knew from Aria's expression that it was a serious matter.

"Abby, why don't you and Emma play in the living room? Come on," Emily picked up Emma to the living room and Abby followed close by. Once Emily came back, Aria still didn't say anything.

"Should I-" Caleb was about to offer to step out for a moment but Aria cut in.

"No, it's okay." Aria took a deep breath before continuing. "I met Abby's father today." Emily gasped and Hanna literally dropped the glass of vodka in her hand. She had always been the most dramatic one in the group. Fortunately, Caleb caught the glass mid-air.

"You what?" Hanna completely ignored the glass that slipped. It looked like she wanted to say more but too stunned to actually get anything else out of her mouth. Caleb was surprised, but not as much as the others. It probably had to do with the fact that he didn't know who the father was. Aria and Ezra never actually went public. They broke up just about a month after she graduated so she didn't exactly introduce him as her boyfriend to Caleb or any other friends. The only people who knew about her relationship with Ezra and his being Abby's father were Aria's parents and the three women around her right now.

"Wait a minute, E-he's back?" Emily almost let it slip that Ezra was the father, but Aria honestly didn't care who knew anymore. Ezra was eventually going to know about Abby, which means if he wants to be involved in her life other people are going to know about their relationship too.

"Yes. And Em, I think we should just tell Caleb who he is," Aria was tired of being cautious about not saying his name around Caleb, because he's almost always around.

Hanna quickly lit up, "Really? I can tell him?" Hanna hated keeping secrets from Caleb and it had taken everything in her to not tell Caleb about Ezra. Aria nodded in approval and Hanna turned around to face Caleb. Hanna looked so excited, probably not being able to wait for Caleb's expression when he finds out that Aria slept with her teacher. Spencer watched in amusement and Emily sat next to her with the same enthusiasm.

"Okay, you might want to sit down for this." Hanna pulled a stool to his side and patted it with her hand.

"I think I'll be fine Hanna," Caleb chuckled, not knowing what was going to hit him.

"Fine, I warned you." Hanna crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at her husband, as if challenging him. Caleb glared right back and drank from Hanna's glass of vodka that was still in his hands, trying to look cool.

"The father is Ezra Fitz, or more known as Mr. Fitz, our English teacher in High School." At this, Caleb actually chocked on this drink and spilled a few drops on the kitchen counter.

"Fine huh?" Hanna shook her head and handed Caleb a tissue. The other girls broke into laughing fits. Caleb's reaction was so much funnier than any of them could ever imagined.

"Ezra Fitz?" Caleb raised an eyebrow at Aria. "_Mr._ Fitz? Damn." He couldn't believe what he heard and took a seat on the stool Hanna had offered earlier. Hanna automatically sat on Caleb's lap and took back her glass of drink, now already half empty. "No offense, but _really_ Aria?"

"It wasn't like that!" Aria defended her relationship with Ezra. She finally told Caleb the short version of how they met and what had happened. Caleb still wasn't on board with the whole situation but didn't have any problem with it either. Spencer ended up being the one who told everyone about Aria meeting Ezra. Aria was too busy with her ice cream.

By the end of this conversation Hanna was probably drunk, having drank glasses and glasses of vodka mixed with a bit of juice. Her excuse was that she was drinking for Aria, so she wouldn't be so down. Both Spencer and Aria had finished their pints of ice cream, feeling way too full.

It was 10:17 p.m. and the kids were already fast asleep in the living room. Aria checked her watch and yawned.

"I think we better go home, I've got a class tomorrow." Aria said to Spencer. They lived together in the same loft, which Spencer bought. Aria wanted to help pay but Spencer refused, knowing Aria only had the money she got from her parents and Spencer herself had more than enough. Spencer had finished studying law in New York and was now a lawyer in a huge law firm. 'More than enough' was an understatement. It never occurred to them to live separately since they had always lived together ever since they graduated.

Everyone said their goodbyes and three women and a child walked out to the cold night, Abby sleeping in Aria's arms.

"You need a ride Em?" Spencer offered to Emily, motioning to her car.

"No, I drove here. See you guys!" Emily stepped into her own car and drove away. She lived just 15 minutes away in an apartment. Her parents moved to Texas after she graduated. They decided that she could live alone since she got into Danby with a full scholarship for swimming. Now she's still in Danby and working part time in the professional athletic training company. She made enough money to live on her own and planned to be a professional swimmer once she graduates.

Aria and Spencer headed home and put Abby to bed. Spencer spread a bunch of files on the living room table and opened her laptop.

"Catching up on work?" Aria sat on the couch across from Spencer with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"Yeah, please tell me one of those glasses are for me." Spencer held out her hand and Aria gave her the glass.

"You don't think I'm drinking alone do you?" Aria chuckled and poured some wine into both their glasses. "You really shouldn't be over worked Spence," Aria crossed her legs and took a sip of her drink.

"I know, I'm just going to work until midnight I promise. No more all nighters," Spencer had been working a little too hard lately. There was a possibility that someone in her division at work will get promoted and Spencer had been working her ass off making sure it'll be her.

"That would be an hour away so-" before Aria could finish her sentence, the doorbell rang and she exchanged glances with Spencer. Who would be ringing their doorbell in the middle of the night? "You answer it," Aria said to Spencer who just rolled her eyes and walked over to the door. In a force of habit, Spencer looked through the peephole to check who it was.

"It's a guy. And I don't know him," Spencer wrinkled her forehead.

"Just open the door, see what he wants."

Spencer unlocked the door and opened it, revealing a quite tall handsome man in his mid twenties. Aria stood up and froze. She knew this guy. She met this guy at a bar. What the hell was he doing here?

"Hey, I live two floors down and I noticed you're new in the building so I brought you some cake to welcome you." The man smiled at Spencer who blushed, obviously attracted to him.

"Thanks," Spencer took the cake from him. "I'm Spencer and this is my roommate Aria."

"Aria?" He looked shocked when he saw the petite woman standing a few feet away, who mirrored his expression.

"Hey Hardy," Aria gave him an awkward wave.

**Hey guys! Thanks for reading and thank you sooo much for reviewing! Can't believe you guys liked this! Keep doing it, love you xx**


	4. Hello

4. Hello

"_Aria?" He looked shocked when he saw the petite woman standing a few feet away, who mirrored his expression._

"_Hey Hardy," Aria gave him an awkward wave. _

"Wait a minute, you guys know each other?" Spencer was in complete shock. It's not that Aria had no social life, it's just… How?

"Yes," Aria took a few steps closer to her friend. "Spencer, meet Hardy. He's a friend of Ezra's."

"_Best_ friend," Hardy smiled at Spencer. "And I take it you're Aria's friend?"

"_Best _friend," Spencer mocked Hardy playfully. They both chuckled and it was obvious that they were attracted to each other from the smile and stare they shared.

"Oookay," Aria broke the silence. "So do you always visit your neighbors in the middle of the night?"

"Oh, I saw you guys walk into the building earlier. I arrived home the same time you did. Didn't recognize you from behind, obviously." Hardy explained how he knew they were still up. "Ezra told me you were back." Hardy was staring at Aria, knowing it was probably a touchy subject but decided to bring it up anyway since he was very protective of his best friend.

"Oh, I see." Aria gulped. She knew she had to face Ezra at some point, but wasn't ready yet. Honestly, she's not sure if she'll ever be ready.

"I think I better go, it's late and I have to wake up early tomorrow. Very nice to meet you," Hardy said his last sentence to Spencer.

"Great to see you too," Spencer gave him a sweet smile as he walked out the door.

"Aria," Hardy nodded in her direction to say goodbye. Spencer quickly closed the door and turned around to face Aria who raised her eyebrows at Spencer and smirked.

"What?" Spencer was starting to blush and it showed well against her slightly pale skin.

"What do you mean what? You were so flirting with him!" Aria slumped back in her soft leather couch and took a sip of wine.

"I was not!" Spencer followed Aria and gathered her work files.

"Oh please, you were melting and he was into you." Aria knew she was right and so did Spencer.

"Okay maybe a little," Spencer grinned giddily and put all the files in her hand neatly in a spot on the table.

"You all done?" Aria rearranged a file, which was starting to fall. Years of living with the neat freak Spencer had rubbed off on her.

"Yeah, pretty sure my co-workers are a bit sloppy so I'm already a few steps ahead of them for the promotion." Spencer placed her long slim legs on the coffee table and took a sip of her red wine. They both looked around from the pile of work, to Abby, and the amazing three rooms loft.

"Who knew this is how our lives would turn out?" Aria wouldn't have believed anyone if back in high school people told her that just a couple years later, she would have a daughter and living in an expensive loft with her best friend.

"We're just missing that _one_ guy in our lives," Spencer said not mentioning anyone in particular, just imagining someone who would sweep them of their feet and stay with them forever. "You know Aria, if you give it a try, Ezra might be the one."

"I used to think so," Aria was smiling, remembering all the memories they had.

"What changed?" Spencer was trying to convince Aria to get moving and go get her man.

"Life, I guess." Aria gestured around her and sighed as she put her arms down.

"That didn't stop you guys the first time you met," Spencer stated a-matter-of-factly. "Shouldn't stop you now."

"You're right," Aria smiled and continued, "For all we know, Hardy can be your guy Spence."

"Fingers crossed," Spencer giggled then raised her glass. "A toast, to love."

"To love." And they both downed their drinks.

Hardy was just closing the door to his apartment when someone called out his name. He whipped around to find his best friend barging in and straightly throwing himself onto the couch.

"Hey man, you okay?" Automatically, he went to the fridge and grabbed a couple of beers before handing one to his unexpected guest and sitting down next to him.

"Thanks," Ezra took a sip and leaned back. He had come here to spill his guts about Aria, his feelings, everything. But now that he's here, he's not even sure where to start. Hardy could tell that the man beside him was struggling with the mess in his head. It was horrible seeing him like this. It was like when he broke up with Aria all over again. He still resented Aria for breaking his best friend's heart.

"What's bugging you?" Hardy said, shaking Ezra out of his thoughts.

"You know how I met Aria today right?" Ezra had told Hardy immediately through a text message, not having time to actually visit him until now.

"Yeah, you said you guys talked in the elevator and she acted a little weird… agitated."

"That's not the only weird thing about our little encounter," Ezra fidgeted with the label on his beer bottle.

"What do you mean? What else happened?" this got Hardy's attention.

"When we got out, Spencer showed up. Didn't know I was there, she talked about someone named Abby. When she realized I was there, she literally turned white." Ezra still can't get their conversation out of his head.

"So? She's probably shocked to see you," Hardy didn't see how this is something to be worried about.

"It wasn't like that, it's like as if they she was caught doing something she shouldn't be doing in front of me. Or in this case, saying." Ezra figured this all out in his car on the way home. "So I asked Aria who Abby was right before she left, and her answer was well… weird to say the least."

"What did she say?" Hardy was hanging on Ezra's every word.

"Earlier I asked her why she didn't tell me she was back in Rosewood. And when I asked her who Abby was, she said she's the reason why she didn't tell me she was back." Aria's answer had been playing over and over again in his head. _She's the reason I didn't tell you I was back_. What was that supposed to mean?

"You're right, that's pretty weird." Hardy was starting to get curious. What the hell was Aria hiding? "By the way, I met her today."

"You what?" Ezra almost spit his beer.

"I was checking out the new neighbors who live in the loft and it turns out that they were Aria and her friend Spencer." Hardy quickly explained what happened before Ezra could say anything else.

"They live in a loft?" Ezra thought about it for a while, and then finally came to a conclusion that Spencer probably bought it. He had heard from a few teachers in Rosewood High that Spencer was a successful lawyer now. No surprise there.

"And that chick Spencer? She was hot." Ezra chuckled at his friend before he could continue.

"Don't even think about it. From what I've heard, she's not that easy." Ezra knew this from Aria and also some rumors when the girls were still back in high school and Ezra used to gossip with other teachers at lunch. There weren't much to talk about besides the students so that's what they did.

"Don't say that, I think she was into me." Hardy said before drinking more of his beer.

"Good luck with that," Ezra said thinking it would be really interesting to see Spencer and Hardy as a couple. "I think I'm going to talk Aria in the morning," Ezra thought about his ex-girlfriend once again.

"You want to crash? I think you still have some clothes from when you stayed here last time." Hardy opened the closet and found a duffel bag. "Here it is."

"Sure, thanks man." Ezra took his empty bottle of beer and Hardy's that were sitting on the table and put them in the trash bin. Hardy headed to his room while Ezra made himself comfortable on the couch, quickly falling fast asleep.

Aria woke up to the smell of coffee and pancakes. She could hear someone turning off the stove and stacking pancakes on a plate, then suddenly a crash. She quickly jolted up and walked into the kitchen to find Spencer on her knees, cleaning the floor of a broken plate.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Spencer picked up all the pieces and threw them out into the trash bin.

"Nah, I was already awake." Aria took a seat on one of the stools in the kitchen, leaning both her elbows on the cold granite. "So, pancakes huh?"

"I thought you could use a little pick me up after what happened yesterday so bon appétit!" Spencer put a plate of two pancakes covered in just a bit of chocolate with blueberries. They were both Aria and Abby's favorite.

"My favorite! Thanks Spence," Aria quickly poured a glass of orange juice and took a sip before taking a bite of her breakfast.

"Look who's awake!" Spencer was looking at Abby who walked to wards Aria with a big grin on her face.

"Mommy! Good morning," the little girl looked up at her mum who picked her up and seated her on a stool.

"Good morning sweetie," Aria kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Look what Auntie Spencer made you."

"My favorite!" Abby squealed the same way Aria did and the two adults in the room laughed.

"Here you go, be careful okay?" Spencer serve Abby a pancake with the same toppings before getting back to her own breakfast. A few seconds passed before there was a knock on the door and Spencer and Aria exchanged glances.

"Another neighbor?" Aria suggested.

"Maybe the same neighbor," Spencer said with a smirk, referring to Hardy.

"You wish!" Aria yelled as Spencer walked over to the door and opened it.

"Aria, I think someone's here for you." Spencer looked tense in front of the doorway, but Aria couldn't see who it was because the door was blocking her view. Abby suddenly hopped off her stool and ran towards Spencer.

"Who is it? Who is it?" Abby was always excited every time they had a guest. Aria quickly ran after her.

"Abby!" Aria ran off after her daughter who stopped at the doorway. And so did Aria. Little did Abby know their guest was her father.


	5. Fitz

5. Fitz

"_Aria, I think someone's here for you." Spencer looked tense in front of the doorway, but Aria couldn't see who it was because the door was blocking her view. Abby suddenly hopped off her stool and ran towards Spencer._

_ "Who is it? Who is it?" Abby was always excited every time they had a guest. Aria quickly ran after her._

_ "Abby!" Aria ran off after her daughter who stopped at the doorway. And so did Aria. Little did Abby know their guest was her father._

"Aria, I was hoping we co-" Ezra was about to point out the fact that they needed to talk until he spotted the little girl who was hugging Spencer's leg. She peeked from behind Spencer but hid again, clearly shy. He thought he heard Aria call her Abby earlier but couldn't be sure so he just gave her a smile.

"Come on honey, let's get you showered." Spencer grabbed Abby's hand and led her into her room, leaving Aria and Ezra alone. The door was shut tight, giving them privacy.

Ezra could smell the scent of Chocolate-Blueberry pancakes that wafted through the air and quickly remembered that they were Aria's favorite. Aria didn't move a muscle and just stayed in the same exact spot for a few seconds not really sure what to do, until Ezra cleared his throat.

"Hardy told me you live here and I was hoping we could talk," Ezra said once he got Aria's attention.

"Yeah, we should." A million thoughts raced through her mind. He saw Abby. Does he suspect anything? What if he already figured it out? How am I supposed to tell him? "C-Come in," Aria moved out of the way and Ezra walked in towards the living room. "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Juice?" Aria suggested as she walked to the kitchen and grabbed a cup. She was obviously nervous but didn't really care because she could see that Ezra was too.

"Coffee, please." Ezra just stood next to the couch awkwardly not knowing if he should sit. Aria came back with her own cup of coffee and Ezra's in her hands. "Thanks," Ezra said as he took his cup of coffee. Their hands brushed for a second and it felt like a surge of electricity ran through both their bodies. They both ignored it, not wanting to accept the feelings they still had for each other. Aria sat on the sofa and so did Ezra, leaving some space between them.

"So, juice? Last I know, both you and Spencer were caffeine machines." Ezra chuckled nervously. He meant to lighten the mood but wasn't sure if what he said made anything better.

"Yeah, some things had changed." Aria smiled at his comment without meaning to sound bitter but her sentence came out otherwise. They could hear the sound of the shower from the bathroom where Spencer was giving Abby a bath.

"Are you babysitting?" Ezra motioned towards the bathroom, referring to the young girl he saw in the doorway. Obviously he hadn't suspect a thing.

Aria took a deep breath and finally answered him, "No." Ezra wrinkled his forehead and Aria noticed.

"What do you mean?" Ezra tried to think of an explanation for why there would be a girl in Aria and Spencer's apartment but couldn't think of any, other then well… that they were babysitting.

"Ezra, that was Abby." Aria honestly didn't know how to tell him that she has a daughter. That he had a daughter.

"Oh." Ezra seemed fine for a while but then he quickly became very confused. "And Abby is…"

Aria couldn't take it any longer, she had to just come right out and say it. Say it. Say it. Say i- "My daughter."

Ezra froze. Her daughter? What the hell was she talking about? He can't believe it. In the time since they broke up, she had met another guy. Of course she did, what was he thinking? She's beautiful and smart and just perfect, why wouldn't any guy fall in love with her? "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were married. I just thought th-"

"What? No," Aria said, cutting him off. He thought she was married? Once she thought about it, I guess he did jump to a reasonable conclusion. She felt like she wanted to laugh at the fact that he thought she was married but decided against it, thinking it would be wildly inappropriate.

"Is the father around?" Ezra couldn't believe what he was hearing. Aria's a single mother? How could that be? Last he saw her, she was just a normal college student.

"It's complicated," Aria said looking down at her hands that were rested on her lap. She wanted to tell him the truth, that he was the father. But how was she supposed to just drop a bomb like that? How would he react?

"I see," Ezra didn't want to pry so he moved the conversation along. "So this is why you didn't look for me when you came back to Rosewood?"

"I didn't know you were back in Rosewood so I didn't bother to look," Aria sighed. She decided that she would just tell him everything then and there. How she had looked for him and about her not going to NYU to take care of Abby.

"How did you know I wasn't around until two months ago?" Ezra just remembered Aria's comment in the elevator yesterday about him not being around three years ago. This means she knew that he had left not long after they split up.

"I looked for you back then," Aria had a feeling this conversation would lead to telling Ezra he was Abby's father, and she was right.

"Why?" Ezra could feel the tension in the room.

"Where were you?" Aria dodged that particular question once again, and Ezra let her.

"California. After we broke up, I decided to start writing again and went to California to get my mind off of things. Get a clean slate," Ezra actually did get started on his writing. He had written a tragic love story. So much for taking his mind off of things. "Obviously, I didn't exactly succeed on starting a new life cause now I'm back here." He chuckled a bit and he could see that Aria was smiling.

"How _is_ everything?" Aria had been curious to what Ezra's been up to, although she would never admit it. She started to relax as she crossed her legs and leaned on the leather couch she had bought first thing she moved in with Spencer. She had been eyeing this couch at the local furniture store, knowing it was half off.

"I live in my old apartment and I actually just got accepted to teach in Rosewood High again. Believe it or not, I find teaching high school better than Hollis. It's probably just in my head but I have a feeling it's the memories keeping me there," He looked into Aria's eyes and remembered all the fun they had even though they never really became a legit couple. Aria was first to break eye contact and she shifted in her seat. "I already told you how things are with me, now will you tell me what's bothering you?" Ezra could see that something's not right with all the questions Aria's been avoiding.

"Ezra, there's something I need to tell you." It's now or never. Aria fidgeted with her nails and bit her lower lip. "I looked for you three-almost four years ago because I wanted to tell you that I was pregnant." Ezra didn't think anything of this. Is that it? That's the big secret? He was a little relieved that it wasn't anything to worry about. But apparently Aria wasn't done talking and said something else, "And that you were the father." For a minute Ezra just sat there growing limp. But then he started to get angry and confused and his emotions were starting to collide.

"Wh-Why didn't you tell me?" Ezra said as he stood up and paced a little. His anger was starting to show but he calmed down, wanting a rational conversation.

"I tried but I couldn't find you anywhere and your number changed! I called Hardy and he wouldn't pick up and nobody knew where you went. What was I supposed to do?" Aria raised her voice in frustration.

Ezra sighed and put his hands in his jeans pocket. Aria had a point; he practically fell off the face of the earth. "Aria, I'm sorry." Aria was taken aback by his sudden change of attitude but preferred it than yelling. However, she didn't know why he was sorry.

"Why?" Aria chuckled. "You didn't do anything wrong," she smiled at Ezra who looked guilty and hurt.

"But I should've been there for you, for… Abby." He motioned towards Aria and took a seat.

"It's okay, you didn't know." Aria comforted Ezra by taking his hand in hers and they both smiled. He pulled her down so that she would sit next to him.

"What happened to us? Remember when we were practically invincible with everything thrown our way?" He smiled at the memories. He remembered everything about them, the good and the bad.

"I remember everything, and that stupid fight." Aria actually laughed a little at this and Ezra joined her. Their fight _was_ really stupid now that she thought about it. They just missed each other and the whole long distance relationship was a little overwhelming.

"Look Aria, I really would like to get to know Abby if it's okay with you." Ezra was trying his best to not say the wrong thing. He didn't exactly know how these situations usually go.

"I would love for you to get to know her," Aria was so glad Ezra had reacted the way he did because she wouldn't be able to live with her self if he hated her for not telling him all this time. "There's just a tiny problem though," this just occurred to Aria and she has no idea how to handle it. "How are we going to tell Abby that you're her father?"  
"I guess that's a bit tricky," Ezra chuckled. "What have you been telling her so far?" A bunch of things came to Ezra's mind. Did she tell Abby that her father had died? Or that he was some bastard who left?

"I showed her a picture of you once and I told her that you just weren't around. She didn't ask much after that." It was like Abby knew her father was a touchy subject and decided not to bring it up. Of course she didn't know that, no three year old would. He friends however, occasionally brought up Ezra. They tried their best to help Aria get over him and she always put up a brave face but deep down she still had a soft spot for him.

"I have a daughter," Ezra said mostly to himself, still trying to believe it. The bathroom door opened and Abby peeked form behind the door. Spencer walked outside and knelt down so that she was Abby's height.

"Don't be shy, he's just your mom's friend." Abby slowly walked out hand in hand with Spencer. Aria nodded to Spencer signaling that it was okay for Abby to meet Ezra. Abby also seemed to look at Aria for a permission to approach the unfamiliar man in the middle of their living room.

"It's okay honey," Aria motioned for Abby to walk closer to them and she did. Ezra's heartbeat sped up as Abby got closer and he couldn't believe this moment was happening. He has a daughter!

"Hi, I'm Abby." Abby looked up at him through her lashes and gave him a shy smile.

**First of all, thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! Never thought that you guys would like the story but you do so yay! Second, to obsessedwithezria: Abby is three years old. To WWKMDbracelets: here you go! Ezra's reaction! **

**Again, thank you for reading! Keep the reviews, follows, and favorites coming!**


	6. Still Standing

5. Still Standing

"_It's okay honey," Aria motioned for Abby to walk closer to them and she did. Ezra's heartbeat sped up as Abby got closer and he couldn't believe this moment was happening. He has a daughter!_

"_Hi, I'm Abby." Abby looked up at him through her lashes and gave him a shy smile._

"H-Hi," Ezra never thought he would be this nervous just to talk to a three year old. Aria picked Abby up and sat her on Aria's lap. Now that Ezra had a closer look, he could see similarities between Abby and himself. She had his bright blue eyes and cheekbones while her hair was dark brunette in loose curls just like her mother. Abby looked at Ezra like she was trying to solve a puzzle. Abby thought she had seen him somewhere before but couldn't really place it.

"Abby, remember the man in the picture that I showed you once?" Aria said reminding Abby about the picture of her father. Abby instantly knew what Aria was talking about but couldn't exactly put two and two together yet.

"You mean daddy?" Abby looked up at Aria, curiosity in her eyes.

"Yes, daddy." Aria couldn't help but smile as she said the word. Ezra himself felt his heart flatter as heard it. He couldn't imagine how it would be like if Abby called him dad. "Now this is Ezra." Aria looked at Ezra who was admiring the two. Aria raised her eyebrows at him, asking if he wanted her to introduce him as the father now and Ezra gave a slight nod, barely noticeable so that Abby won't see it.

"You mean _Uncle_ Ezra," Abby said correcting her mother. "You said I have to call your friends with Uncle and Aunt because they're also family. Like Aunt Spencer and Uncle Caleb!" Aria actually did say that but this wasn't the same. Ezra wasn't an uncle. He was her father.

"No, honey. Ezra's different," Aria was trying her best to tell her daughter the news gently.

"How different?" Abby said softly, her voice only a whisper. She was confused of why her mom acted differently about _Uncle_ Ezra, and frankly a bit worried of what her mother's answer would be.

"Abby, he's your father." Aria watched Abby's reaction carefully. The little girl's face turned from confused to shocked. Abby turned her head to face Ezra who smiled at her and it showed clearly on his face that he was worried of how Abby would react.

"Do I have to call you Daddy?" was the first thing out of Abby's mouth. Ezra was silent for a moment before he finally found his voice.

"Not if you don't want to," Ezra didn't want to push things too far too fast. He wanted to get to know Abby slowly, getting close to her in time. And he wanted Abby to get to know him too.

"Okay, I'll call you Ezra then." Abby grinned from ear to ear. The fact that she has a father around had just struck her and she was extremely happy. Her mother never talked about him and the one time that she did while showing a photo of him, she looked sad. Abby hated it when her mom was sad so she never asked about her father anymore.

Suddenly Ezra's phone rang and he quickly picked it up. "Excuse me," he said to both Aria and Abby, and took a few steps away. Once Ezra talked on his phone and was out of earshot, Abby turned back to her mom.

"Mommy, guess what?" Abby tugged lightly on Aria's sleeveless light blue shirt.

"What honey?" Aria was worried Abby was going to say that she didn't like Ezra or be mad at her for telling her something this huge so suddenly.

But instead of disappointment and rejection from Abby, she grinned excitedly. "I have a dad!" Aria couldn't help but laugh heartily at this.

"Yes you do, are you okay with that?" Aria wanted to check one last time.

"Yessss," Abby squealed, dragging out the 's'. "I'm soooo so so happy!" Abby stretched her arms wide to show how happy she really was. In the middle of the giggling that came after, Ezra stepped back into the room.

"What's with the giggling?" Ezra asked as he slipped his phone into the pocket of his jeans and sat back down next to Aria.

"It's a secret!" Abby put a finger in front of her mouth. To be honest, she just didn't want to admit that she was extremely excited to have Ezra in her life. It was fine when she told her mom but telling Ezra would be pretty embarrassing.

"I can't know?" Ezra pretended to be devastated and Abby just giggled some more and shook her head. "You know what Abby? I have an idea." He looked to Aria who shared a curious expression with her daughter. Aria frowned slightly and tilted her head. What does he have up his sleeve?

"How about we go to dinner tonight? The three of us, in a restaurant." Ezra had thought of this when he took his phone call. What better way to get to know his daughter?

"Yes yes yes! Can we mom? Please?" Abby pleaded. Aria herself loved the idea but Abby never gave her any chance to say so.

"Of course honey," Aria smoothed out Abby's hair, and Abby hugged Aria tightly as she thanked her. "Ezra, do you have somewhere to be? You can just pick us up at six if you want."

"Okay," Ezra actually did have somewhere to be in about twenty minutes. The phone call earlier had been from Rosewood High. They wanted him to come in for a meeting since the school year will be starting in a week. "That's sounds great!" Ezra stood up and so did everybody else.

"I'll walk you out," Aria followed Ezra to the door who was waving at Abby on his way out. Once they got outside, Ezra turned to Aria.

"Aria, I'm really sorry you had to go through this alone." Ezra wanted to say this earlier but couldn't in front of Abby. He felt guilty for not being able to be there from the start. He couldn't imagine what Aria had to go through.

"It's okay, you didn't know. Don't beat yourself up about it." Aria could see how horrible Ezra felt but it wasn't his fault at all. "Besides, I had my mom and Spencer and my friends." Ezra had seen Spencer next to Abby when they came out of the bathroom but his attention where focused on his daughter so he barely had time to acknowledge Aria's roommate. Ezra smiled at Aria's answer, realizing she had so many people who cared for her.

"I know we're going to dinner with Abby tonight, but I was thinking…" Ezra had thought of this the whole morning he was at Hardy's apartment. "Maybe _we_ can go to dinner sometime? Just the two of us? What do you say?"

"Are you asking me on a date?" Aria smirked and blushed a little. She had been so worried about telling Ezra that he had a daughter the fact that he might want to patch things up never crossed her mind.

"Yeah, a date." Ezra had never felt this nervous to ask someone out before. Not even the first time they met.

"We'll see," Aria didn't know what to say. She was worried that if things don't work out between them, then Abby would be left without a father again. She couldn't ruin Abby's relationship with Ezra.

"Okay, I'll see you at six." Ezra waved goodbye and headed to his car downstairs.

* * *

It was 11:10 and the air was perfectly warm. He unlocked his car and stepped inside after the double beeps it made. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact the he was a father. He knew he seemed cool with the idea when he was around Aria and Abby but he was freaking out in his head. What if he turned out to be a horrible father? He didn't want that for Abby. His own father wasn't exactly a role model and he didn't want to follow in his footsteps. His parents got divorced when he was twelve and his father left. He never called on birthdays or anything. It was like he disappeared. Ezra never showed his anger but deep down he was in despair. Of course he got over it eventually but he still had a hint of sadness regarding his father. In fact, Ezra wasn't close with any of his family. He talked with his brother and mother on thanksgiving and Christmas but nothing else. It wasn't that there was anything wrong; they were just never really close.

Ezra arrived at Rosewood High and parked his car. He walked through the hallways towards the meeting room he had been told to go to. He observed his surroundings as he walked and looked around. Nothing had changed since the last time he was here on Aria's graduation day. He had been lurking in the backgrounds watching Aria take pictures with her friends and family. She came over and took a picture wit him too, telling people she wanted a picture with her favorite teacher. Her three best friends kept laughing, they obviously knew about his relationship with Aria.

He looked through the rectangular glass in the wooden door and spotted a few familiar faces already seated and ready for the meeting. He walked in and took a seat beside Mrs. Welch. They both caught up with each other and Ezra left out the part where he had a daughter with a former student. He could only imagine how that conversation would go. After just a couple of minutes, the meeting started and he began to listen.

* * *

Aria massaged her own neck and stared at the book rested on her lap. What's so wrong with the Internet? Her jackass of a professor had made them summarize one whole book and would make sure to fail them if they even so much as peek at their laptop. Apparently he didn't exactly appreciate the technology of the 21st century.

"Don't you think it's time for a rest?" Spencer had just put Abby down for a nap and joined Aria in the living room, which looked like a mess with Aria's scribbled papers everywhere. Sometimes, it seems like Spencer took care of Abby much more than Aria does and Aria feels a little bit of guilt but it's been that way all along and she got used to it. The two of them had been like a parenting team. Or what some people have actually pointed out, a lesbian couple.

"Not until I'm done. You know how my professor critiques on everything; I want this to be perfect. He hates me already, I don need to add to that." Aria took a sip of her coffee after finishing her sentence. She wasn't exactly the best student in class. The project she worked on always end up amazing and she wasn't struggling at all but she was almost always late. And her professor didn't like that. He's practically Old Testament with the punctuality and discipline and all, so he wasn't grateful of Aria's behavior. At first she had explained that she needed to drop her daughter off since she was a single mother but instead of pity, he gave her a cold stare that burned her. Now that she thought about it, using her daughter as an excuse was pretty horrible. Oh well, nothing you can do now. "Hey, you like to critique! What do you say you take a look at my paper so I can revise it again?" Aria said hopefully.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Spencer raised her eyebrows, but she secretly loved the fact that all of her friends thought of her as a genius. "Besides, I master in law not literature." Spencer scrunched up her face as she scanned a paper full of unreadable handwriting in colorful pens.

"Oh come on, you were a straight A student in _every_ subject! Pretty please?" Aria attempt on giving puppy dog eyes but she had never been able to do it perfectly. However Spencer was easy and gave up in a heartbeat.

"Fine," Spencer shrugged and took Aria's mug of coffee to drink.

"Hey that's mine! "Aria tried to grab the mug back but it was already snatched away from her hands and Spencer held it as far as she could. Aria thought about getting up and taking the mug back but she was too lazy so she just pouted.

"You've had enough of these, now get back to work!" Spencer sipped the coffee in a show-off manner and they both burst into laughter. Aria could already feel the muscles in her neck relax and realized that it wasn't caused by any wrong movements she had made that day but just by all of the stress. "Did you two get to talk? Alone, I mean." Spencer spoke up after a while and knew where Aria's mind had wondered off. As always Ezra, of course. Where else?

"Yeah, he kind of…" Aria bit her lower lip before continuing, a habit she had picked up in New York when her lips were a bit chapped. "He asked me out."

"Well that's not exactly surprising…" Spencer had suspected that's why Ezra had come here in the first place. It wasn't like he came to find a long lost daughter.

"I guess… and I know we talked about the whole finding true love thing last night but what if I mess this up? Abby can lose a father," Aria looked down at her hands and fidgeted with the thin fabric of her shirt. "_I_ can loose him. And I can't go through that again." Aria didn't have the nerve to look up at Spencer. She was worried she would start crying any second now and she had spilt too much tears on her best friend's shoulder. Before she knew it, she felt a pair of arms around her petite body and she could hear the reassuring voice she had relied on all this time.

"You don't get it do you?" Spencer said softly as she sat down next to Aria and hugged her. Her hands lightly rubbed Aria's arm in a comforting manner. The sentence that came out of Spencer's mouth wasn't what Aria expected but she was curious to what Spencer was getting at. "You and Ezra are meant to be. Don't you see it? Look at everything you've both been through and you're still standing."

"Barely," Aria mumbled. She's living off of her best friend, Ezra _just_ knew he has a daughter, and now she's crying… again. How are those good things? As if on cue, Spencer quickly responded with a whisper in her ear.

"You have Abby." And this made Aria smile. And she felt truly happy.

* * *

Ezra stood in front of Aria's door and gripped the paper bag in his hand tightly. You can do this, there's nothing to be nervous about. You met them this morning and everything went just fine. He was about to knock when Aria flung the door open.

"Holy shit! Ezra!" Aria almost collapsed onto the floor when she saw that there was a man in front of her door with his right hand raised as if he was a violent burglar. She held her hand to her chest and took deep breaths. What the hell was he doing there? She could've pepper sprayed him or something! Not that she had a pepper spray but she had always seen girls in movies bring them everywhere. That's actually not a bad idea at all.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was about to knock but you opened the door so it looked like I was a bout to hit you." Ezra started rambling but then noticed that Aria was really pale. "A-Are you okay?"

After one last deep breath she replied with a smile, "I'm fine, sorry I was just a bit jumpy." Aria chuckled trying to sound light and fun but her heartbeat still needed a few more seconds to get back to normal. "Abby! Ezra's here, let's go!" Aria yelled towards Abby's room where she was. It only took a second for the excited little girl to run towards Ezra and tug on his jeans as if to ask him to pick her up. He did and held up a massive paper bag in front of her.

"I got you something!" Abby's eyes widened at how huge it looked. Ezra put her down and pushed the paper bag towards her.

"For me?" Abby looked from Ezra to Aria who looked just as stunned.

"Ezra, you didn't have to." Aria was actually really happy that Ezra even thought of getting Abby something.

"I wanted to," Ezra looked at Abby who tried to open the tape closing the top of the bag. "She's my daughter too remember?" He didn't mean it to sound mean at all but felt like it came it out wrong. He opened his mouth to correct his own mistake but Aria stopped him.

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean it like that." Aria thought it was kind of funny how Ezra was being nervous.

"Mommy, can you help me open it?" Abby got Aria's attention who quickly opened the massive bag and revealed the present. Abby gasped and squealed and jumped up and down as soon as she saw what was beneath the boring brown bag.

"Oh my god," was the only thing Aria could think to say. She closed her gaping mouth with both her hands and knelt down to look at the new toy with her daughter. It was the best present ever.

**So sorry for taking forever to update! I've had tons of work lately but it won't happen again. So what do you think the present is? Tell me! Reply to JoJo Sky: they're not back together. And for the rest of you, thanks for reading, reviewing, and follow/favorite! keep them coming!**


	7. Feelings

7. Feelings

_Abby gasped and squealed and jumped up and down as soon as she saw what was beneath the boring brown bag. _

_ "Oh my god," was the only thing Aria could think to say. She closed her gaping mouth with both her hands and knelt down to look at the new toy with her daughter. It was the best present ever._

Standing there in front of their eyes was a pink dollhouse as tall as Abby. It had three floors and multiple rooms complete with stairs. It was actually the exact dollhouse Aria had wanted when she was a kid. Her parents never granted her request to get one saying that she'll just get bored with it and move on eventually so it would be a waste of money. She asked for it every birthday and Christmas to no avail. Even 'Santa' wouldn't give it to her. That was actually her first clue to his non-existence. Thinking back, Aria remembered mentioning 'the dollhouse story' to Ezra when they were together years ago. She can't believe he still remembered.

"E-Ezra, it's beautiful!" Aria had tears brimming in her eyes but quickly blinked them away. By the looks of it, Aria still had the desire to have this dollhouse deep down. Abby finally tore apart from her dollhouse and ran to hug Ezra's leg.

"Thank you Ezra! I love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Ezra was shocked at first and went stiff, not accustomed by a child's hug but quickly relaxed and got on one knee so that he was almost Abby's height.

"You're welcome Abs," Ezra could see how happy he had made his daughter and it made his insides warm like he never felt before.

"I like that nickname," Abby said after a short giggle.

"Yeah?" Ezra lighted up, knowing he had done something right.

"Yes, and I like you." Abby hugged Ezra who was once again shocked by the unanticipated affection he got, but took no longer than a beat to warm up to his daughter. To Abby, the words I like you meant that she had decided that Ezra was a fun loving person. But to Ezra those words meant the world. It meant that she was welcoming him to her life. It meant that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't be such a terrible father after all.

"I like you too Abs," Ezra said grinning, loving the feeling Abby gave him. Aria watched from where she sat on the ground next to the dollhouse and smiled to herself. She could spot the simplest of Ezra's reaction and she loved the way he was hesitant and a bit shy around the chatty three year old. Aria moved the apparently not light dollhouse to an empty spot in the room so that it wouldn't be in anyone's way and took the apartment keys as she headed towards the door with Abby and Ezra not far behind.

"I booked a table for us in the Italian place a few blocks away, how does that sound?" Ezra said once the three of them were on the other side of the door and walking into the elevator.

"Sounds great, Abby loves Italian. Right honey?" Aria looked down at her daughter whose hand was in Aria's.

"My favorite is spaghetti!" Abby started saying as the elevator worked its way down the building. "But sometimes mommy won't let me eat it at home because she said it'll get messy." Ezra chuckled at this and pushed the open button once there was a ding.

"Your mom's right, it's better to eat them in restaurants where you don't actually have to clean." Abby dragged Aria out with their still joined hands and Ezra led them to his silver sedan. Abby climbed into the backseat and quickly put her seatbelt on as Aria and Ezra got into the front seats. Ezra started up the car and drove while Abby talked about probably everything she could think of the whole car ride.

* * *

Aria stared at the empty plate in front of her and took a sip of water. She decided not to order any desert, already way too full from the main course.

Abby was telling Ezra all kinds of stories and he hung on her every word. He loved hearing all the stories but to be honest, he was also sad. He wanted to be _in_ those stories, not just listening to them. He should've been there from the start. He thought back to all the times he had wanted to pick up the phone and call Aria to tell her that he didn't care about everything they had said in the fight because all that matters is that at the end of the day, he loves her. He wanted to pack up and go to New York and hold her in his arms once again. If he had done that right after they broke up or even if he just didn't leave for California, she would've found him and told him that he was expecting a daughter. And they would've built a family together.

Abby finally finished her story and leaned on Aria. "I'm full mommy," Aria observed Abby who looked tired from all the excitement today and put her arms around her.

"You want to head home? It's already eight." Aria was surprised how time flew by so fast. They had had so much fun. Abby was so comfortable around Ezra and Aria was glad. She can finally stop worrying about everything and just enjoy the moment, because this moment is definitely worth enjoying even though Abby did most of the talking.

"Is that okay? I'm sweepy." Aria softly chuckled at her daughter's sudden yawn in the middle of saying 'sleepy'.

"Of course it is honey," Aria brushed away some of Abby's hair and placed it behind her ear.

"Why don't the both of you ask for the car from the valet and I'll take care of this," Ezra held up the check and stood up to head to the cashier.

"Are you sure? I can pay too." Aria knew that Ezra had intended to pay for dinner all along but she wouldn't mind paying either.

"What are you talking about? Don't worry about it, go ahead." Ezra walked across the room to the cashier and handed his credit card to the man behind the counter. He watched Aria, who was carrying a now sleeping Abby, go outside and talked to the man in charge of the valet through the glass walls.

"Here's your card sir, have a good night with your family." The man in front of him said a little bit too cheerful for his taste, but the word 'family' struck him. A huge smile was plastered on Ezra's face and he thanked the man, named Carl according to his nametag. According to Carl, Ezra had his very own family and he loved the idea.

Ezra's car came into view just as Ezra himself arrive next to Aria. She slowly laid Abby down in the back seat and seated herself in the front passenger seat and looked to her left where Ezra was grinning, glancing at Abby.

"What are you smiling about?" Aria wrinkled her forehead in confusion as she buckled her seatbelt, never looking away from Ezra's face to make sure that she won't miss any sudden change in his weirdly joyful expression.

"I'm just happy to have Abby in my life." Ezra started up the car and as he drove out of the private grounds of the restaurant he added, "Maybe someday I can get you back too." Ezra glanced for just a second at Aria with a sweet smile on his face, not wanting to keep his eyes off the road any longer.

"Maybe," Aria wanted to just leave it at that. But she couldn't. She couldn't just string him along and not tell him how she feels about the whole situation. He deserves to know. Now. "Look, about that."

"Oh no," Ezra's smile slowly disappeared.

"What?" Aria panicked for a second. Was there something wrong? Was it anything to do with him? The car maybe?

"Well, the words you just said aren't exactly the kind of things you say when you bear good news." Ezra winced silently, expressing his point.

"It's just that you and Abby had _just_ met and you're only starting to get know each other and she has no idea about our past. And I'm scared that if we go out and it doesn't work out… that Abby might lose you. And she just got her father I don't want her to go back to not having one. I-I'm worried," Aria was about to ramble some more when Ezra cut in.

"I understand where you're coming from," Ezra nodded slowly thinking about Aria's point of view in all of this. She had watched Abby grow up without a father and she wants that to change. "But I'm not going anywhere." Ezra once again took the chance to glance at Aria for a moment before looking back at the road and continuing. "I love Abby no matter what and I will always be there for her. But I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to either." Ezra took a deep breath. "At least think about it. About us. I know that I still have very strong feelings for you. I never stopped, and I know you feel the same way. Those feelings don't just go away." Ezra finished just as he arrived in front of Aria's building.

"I know," Aria shook her head slightly and looked up at Ezra.

"Good night Aria," Ezra leaned forward and gave Aria a soft peck on the cheek, which sent shivers down her spine. She wanted to kiss back and taste his soft lips. Just a chaste simple kiss, nothing more. She simply missed being the woman in his arms, being able to talk to him or even not talk and be by his side to feel the warmth of his body whenever she was having a bad day. She wanted to do all the things they did when they were still together. But she didn't pursue any of her desires and just let her neck and cheeks grow red. She suppressed a grin and settled her handbag on her shoulder.

"Good night," And she stepped out into the cold night, got Abby from the back seat and carried her into the building. Ezra watched her walk away and pulled out his phone once she was out of sight. He sent a text to Hardy letting him know that he won't be staying over anymore and thanked him for last night. He finally drove away into the dark night, holding on to the tingling feeling he still had on his lips.

**A dollhouse! Someone actually guessed an iPad and I guess that would be pretty awesome hahha... Too bad Ezra's not exactly loaded on cash. Again, thanks for reading reviewing/follow/favorite and keep them coming! They keep me motivated to write and update faster so please don't stop! xo**


	8. Breaking

8. Breaking

_Ezra watched her walk away and pulled out his phone once she was out of sight. He sent a text to Hardy letting him know that he won't be staying over anymore and thanked him for last night. He finally drove away into the dark night, holding on to the tingling feeling he still had on his lips._

Ezra woke up as the alarm on his beside table blared for the hundredth time. Its noise was incredibly annoying and he felt like throwing the stupid thing out the window, but instead he hit snooze again and buried his face in his pillow. Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, his phone rang and he quickly jolted up to a sitting position. His ringtone, a classic ring of a home phone that he chose because it reminded him of the olden days, was heard from somewhere far from his bed. He looked around the messy apartment covered with clothes and papers. Shit. Where the hell did he put his phone? He got up and walked towards his desk covered in stacks of papers. They were preparations for the upcoming school year, mostly lesson plans and notes. He looked inside the giant coffee mug sitting on the edge of the desk where he usually keeps his phone when it was charging to avoid from the cable tugging the phone and making it fall, but there was only a blue pen in it. The ringtone seemed to be nearby so it had to be somewhere here. And that's when he saw something peeking out of the pocket of a pair of jeans recklessly thrown over the desk chair. He pulled out his phone and immediately pressed answer without bothering to check the caller ID; afraid it was going to go to voicemail if he took any longer to pick up.

"Hello?" his voice sounded husky in a very weird way because his throat was dry, caused by having not drunk anything yet. He cleared his throat and greeted the person on the other line again, sounding much better.

"Ezra Fitz?" a man's heavy voice rang out and Ezra furrowed his eyebrows, not recognizing the voice.

"Uhm, yeah. Who's this?" Ezra checked the caller ID before asking, but only found an unknown number.

"Ezra, this is Principal Rook from Rosewood High. I hope I didn't wake you," Rook chuckled. Ezra glanced at his laptop that was showing a blinking clock of 10:45 a.m.

"No, not at all." Ezra didn't want to seem lazy. He had wanted to wake up at nine and continue preparing for school but his tired body had other plans. His muscles didn't ache anymore, unlike last night when he stayed up until 2 a.m. to work, but he was in need of rest. "So is everything alright? I'm not like fired or anything right?" Ezra said jokingly followed by a laugh.

"Well actually…" Ezra's heart stopped. He was fired? How could this be? What did he do? For all he knew, he was doing great and he was even quite close with the principal.

"Excuse me sir?" Maybe he had heard wrong. Maybe the signal was bad or something.

"I'm just messing with you Fitz!" the principal laughed heartily and Ezra sighed. That was a pretty good prank but he didn't exactly appreciate it. He had to admit though; it would be pretty funny if it was happening to someone else. In fact, he actually did see it happen to someone else years ago when he was still at Rosewood High before moving to California. Principal Rook loved pulling pranks and everybody knew that.

"Nice one Rook," Ezra walked over to his kitchen and brewed himself a pot of coffee.

"I told you, call me Evan." He had told Ezra to call him by his first name but Ezra was used to 'Rook'. "I called because we missed something in the meeting yesterday and I've been calling everybody all morning to tell them. You know the open house being held this Saturday? Each teacher has to have an alumni with him or her to well… 'show-off'. And try to find a good one because the teacher with the best alumni will get extra days off!" The reward caught Ezra's attention. He could really use those days.

"So this is like a competition?" Ezra raised an eyebrow. He knew Ro-Evan loved competitions. He had made a lot for the school and they were always entertaining.

"Yes!" Evan sounded very excited. "And when I said good alumni, I mean find a _great_ one. Someone who will make the school look good. They will be talking about their experience at school to the parents so make sure they can talk in public."

"Got it, anything else?" Ezra sipped his coffee and leaned on the kitchen counter.

"That's all, and I'm very sorry that it's short notice. I know it won't be easy trying to find your former student of choice. They can be anywhere by now." There was guilt in the older man's voice and Ezra noticed very well.

"It's okay, I think I can handle it. Have a nice day Ro-Evan," Ezra hung up his phone and headed towards the shower with a smile on his face. He had a perfect candidate in mind.

* * *

"Hey, where's Emily?" Aria asked Hanna and peeked outside to check where her other friend was. It was Thursday, which meant girls' night. Every Thursday both Aria and Hanna had no classes, and Spencer didn't have work. Emily didn't have either. Ella would pick up Abby in the morning and Aria would get her the next day. It was all a routine they always do. But now Emily was nowhere in sight so there were only three girls in the loft.

"She had to work today," Hanna sauntered into the living room in her bringt red heels, which clanked against the wooden floors. "It sucks, I know. However, I brought a replacement." Spencer narrowed her eyes at the blonde who was smiling confidently. "Get in here!" And that's when Caleb came in. "Before you guys protest, he has long hair so he's technically a woman too."

"Thank you, _honey_." Caleb said sarcastically to his wife. "I was just dropping Hanna off, I'll be out of your hair in no time."

"Don't be ridiculous, stay." Caleb was already practically one of the girls. He knew everything about them and they hang out together all the time.

"Yeah, although I think Hanna should check out what a 'woman' is in the dictionary, I don't see any reason you shouldn't spend girls' night with us." Hanna rolled her eyes at Spencer's comment and dragged Caleb onto the couch after shutting the door.

"And since when are you using the word 'however' in your daily conversations? You sound like lawyer Spence." Aria grabbed the bag of take out from Hanna's hand and pulled out boxes of Chinese food. The tradition was for either Emily or Hanna to bring take-out to the loft and eat in the living room, catching up. They all have busy lives so this was the perfect way to make sure they don't go too long without seeing each other. Of course they go out other nights too but that wasn't always for sure.

"It's not like it's a big word or anything," Hanna said as she grabbed a set of chopsticks and her box noodle, along with everybody else. Spencer was about to speak up when the doorbell rang. The look on the three women and a man showed confusion so Aria gave a wild guess.

"Emily?" Aria raised her eyebrows as she guessed. Hanna and Caleb exchanged glances.

"No, we dropped her off at work." Caleb said as he stood up. He walked over to the door and Spencer was about to yell 'peephole' when he opened the door. "Oh, hi." Caleb stood awkwardly, still holding the doorknob. The girls couldn't see who it was that rang the doorbell, so Hanna walked over to Caleb's side.

"Fitz?!" Hanna was shocked by Ezra's presence, and he just gave her a smile. Ezra was about to ask for Aria when the person he was looking for showed up behind the couple, right next to Spencer. "You here to join girls' night?" Hanna joked.

"I didn't know I was interrupting, sorry. I'll just come by later." Ezra turned to walk away but was yanked back by a surprisingly strong arm of Hanna's.

"Wait, why don't you join us?" Hanna said giddily. She had something up her sleeve and Aria could see.

"Hanna!" Aria hissed at her friend who nudged Caleb.

"Yeah, come in man." Caleb stepped away a bit to give Ezra a way to come in. Ezra seemed to be looking at Aria who was dumbstruck.

"I don't want to intervene or anything," Ezra still had his eyes glued on Aria, as if asking for approval to join. He had come here to ask about something important.

"Not at all, it stopped being girls' night when Caleb filled in for Emily anyways." Spencer led everyone back to the living room and handed Ezra a box of Chinese food and a set of chopsticks.

"Hey, you said you were cool with me here." Caleb complained as he sat down and let Hanna rest her legs on his lap. The two looked cozy on the long couch and Ezra guessed that they were still together. He looked around the room. Spencer was occupying the single couch and Aria was on the floor leaning on Hanna's couch. There was another single couch next to Caleb and he decided to sit there.

"I am, but it's a better comment than the one your wife made about you being a woman." Spencer said before eating her noodles.

"Wife?" Ezra's eyes widened as he heard the word. He heard that Caleb owned a huge successful electronic store but nothing about a wife.

"We're married," Hanna held up her hand and wiggled it to show her ring. Ezra noticed that it was a pretty big diamond and figured that they probably made a fortune from the store. It was everyone's go-to in town.

"Oh, congratulations!" Ezra said once he swallowed his food. He wouldn't have suspected that any High School couple from Rosewood High would get married. He just thought of them as well… High School couples.

"Thanks, we have a daughter. Her name's Emma," Caleb said proudly and Ezra could see that he was very happy about his family. He never knew that Caleb would turn out to be such a wonderful man. He was always shady back in High School, and he thought that Hanna just liked his bad boy type.

"Wow, is she here?" Ezra looked from Caleb to Hanna who was sipping her Diet Coke.

"No, she's with my mom." Hanna said as she put down her soda can onto the coffee table.

"So what brought you here?" Spencer had been curious and she liked getting to the point.

"I wanted to see Abby actually, but she's not here is she?" Ezra could see that a girls' night meant no kids or boyfriends, or in Emily's case girlfriends, or husbands.

"No, she's with Ella." Aria spoke up for the first time. She looked more relaxed now that Ezra had bonded with her friends.

"I probably should have called, but there's always Hardy to visit." Ezra chuckled and saw that Spencer had a slight blush when she heard Hardy's name. He knew that Hardy was interested in Spencer but he never thought that she would feel the same way about him. Aria caught on to Ezra noticing Spencer's blush and smirked.

"Yep, she likes him." Aria slowly nodded and chuckled with Ezra when Spencer gasped.

"I do not! Aria, what are you doing? He's his friend!" Spencer was worried that Ezra would tell Hardy about this since they were 'best friends' and all.

"Whoa, Spencer's voice just went high pitch. Who are we talking about?" Hanna turned her head slightly to take a look at a now obviously blushing Spencer. Whenever Spencer was embarrassed about a guy that she really likes, her voice would go high pitched like a teenage girl.

"Hardy's Ezra's friend who lives two floors down. He came in the middle of the night to give Spencer cake and they flirted." Aria said casually, in the same time making the neighborly visit sounding more than it was.

"He did what?" Caleb found what Aria said a little weird and creepy in a stalker way. Ezra on the other hand just smirked, knowing that it did happen but not the way Aria was making it sound like.

"It's not what it sounds like," Spencer said as she threw a cushion at Aria. "He was giving _us_ cake to welcome us to the building." Ezra was about to get his Diet Coke when he saw fortune cookies in one of the bags.

"Hey look, a fortune cookie!" Ezra took one and was about to open it when Hanna suddenly said something.

"Did _you_ buy the fortune cookies?" Hanna asked Caleb who nodded, and then she exchanged looks with the other girls. They never bought fortune cookies ever since A had sent them some with a note in it. _That_ tragedy had ended but they still couldn't open or read any for a very long time. The three girls looked uncomfortable and tense, the opposite of how they had been just a second ago.

"Is everything alright?" Ezra furrowed his eyebrows, puzzled at the girls' sudden change of mood and so was Caleb. He could see that Aria was a bit flustered and he focused his attention at her. "Are you okay?" Hanna, who was sitting above Aria bent down and hugged her while she whispered something in her ear.

"Aria, calm down. It's nothing, we should get over this by now. Maybe today's when we move on." Hanna's words were only audible to Spencer who was only a few inches away. Spencer nodded in agreement and tried to take control of the situation. She turned to the two men worried in their seats.

"She just almost chocked on something, everything's fine." On cue, Aria coughed a bit and took a sip of her soda.

"Are you sure?" Ezra was still worried and he knew that something was up, he just couldn't think of anything.

"I'm fine," Aria said once her breathing was back to normal and her friends got comfortable in their seats again. "Why don't you um, read your fortune?" Aria quickly stuffed her mouth with food to try to focus on something else. Her friends saw what she was doing and followed. They needed something else to focus on too.

"Okay," Ezra cracked open his cookie and pulled out the paper. "You will be victorious in your job." Ezra grinned at this, thinking of the extra days off he wanted to get.

"Oh right! You start teaching in Rosewood High on Monday right?" Aria had just recalled that he mentioned it.

"Yeah, and I'm hoping that this will come true." He referred to his fortune and put the paper on the messy table. "I'm supposed to bring an alumni to the open house this Saturday and if my alumni is better than who the others bring, I'll get extra days off. I actually came over to ask about this…"

"Oh, I don't know. I wasn't exactly a model student. I was only good at English." Aria also didn't want to go because she didn't want to explain about Abby when she meets the teachers and other alumni. Questions would come up and rumors would be made, she'd really rather just avoid that.

"Actually, I was thinking of asking Spencer." Ezra bit his lip, not wanting to embarrass Aria. Everybody laughed at Aria's beet red face and told her that it was a common mistake since Ezra was kind of talking to her.

"Ouch, that hurt." Aria faked offense. "Oh well, what do you say Spence?"

"Please?" Ezra said. "You were the best student and I would definitely win!" Ezra and Spencer weren't as much 'strangers' as Hanna and Caleb were with Ezra. Spencer would bump into Ezra a few times when he and Aria were still going out since he visited Aria every weekend and Spencer lived with her. They're not exactly close though. Spencer was out when he stayed in with Aria or the other way around. So they would just meet in the morning right before he drove back to Rosewood.

"How can a girl say no to that?" Spencer shrugged. She wasn't Ezra's biggest fan, after seeing how broken Aria was when he left. However, she knew that Ezra loved Aria and that he was a good guy.

"Thanks, I owe you one." Ezra said meaning it.

"Uh-oh," Caleb suddenly said. Ezra raised an eyebrow at him, asking what was wrong. "You'll wish you never said that. Spencer takes 'I owe you one's very seriously. She'll hold that against you. And her favors are no joke, I swear." Caleb himself suffered through this. Just a few months ago Spencer had collected his 'I owe you one' debt by asking for a free iPhone 5s with free future services at his store. Caleb didn't mind, but it was still a pretty big favor.

"True," Aria said as she put down her empty box and drank her Diet Coke. Spencer nodded as she looked at Ezra, as if warning him. Everyone was done with his or her lunch and the coffee table was covered in trash by now.

Hanna sighed and finally said what was on her mind. "So why aren't you guys like jumping each other's bones?" she said to Ezra and Aria. Ezra choked on his soda and Aria yelled at her friend. Caleb and Spencer burst out laughing at Hanna's blunt question.

"It's a valid question!" Hanna defended herself as Aria threw the cushion Spencer had thrown at her at Hanna. "So?"

"We think we should take it slow," Ezra answered quickly before Hanna could come up with a worse question, although he doubt that's even possible. Hanna narrowed her eyes at Ezra.

"You're lying," Hanna said a matter-of-factly. Spencer and Caleb gasped and Aria buried her face in her hands out of embarrassment.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm not lying," Ezra frowned in confusion. Why would she say that?

"No, you are." Aria said once she looked up again. She saw Ezra's weird expression and started to explain. "Hanna can tell when people lie, it's her thing."

"I don't lie," Ezra said, holding up his arms. "It's _my_ thing." And they all laughed together.

* * *

Aria closed the door behind her as she led Ezra out of her loft. The others were still inside and Ezra decided to call it a night. He turned around to face the mother of his child.

"Your friends are really great," Ezra chuckled. He had only seen them as his students before. He had spent tonight with a bunch of his former students ant it was surprisingly fun. He always knew that Aria had a tight group of friends but he didn't actually know how they were. Maybe bonding with her friends can help him to get her back again. He has Abby and that's unbelievably incredible but he wants Aria too. He needs her. Because he still loves her.

"Yeah, they're my family." Aria smiled at herself, meaning it very much.

"Aria, we never really talked about how involved I can be in Abby's life." Ezra had wanted to discuss this too when he came here, but obviously couldn't in front of her friends. "I really want to be as involved as I can. I don't want to be one of those fathers who are never there. I already missed three years of her life, I don't want to anymore."

"You can be as involved as you want. You're her father and you deserve to be with her as much as I do." Aria wanted to make sure that he knows he's a part of the family. "You can come over to see her anytime you want." Aria looked into his eyes and smiled. "Thank you. For this, for everything. You could have walked away but you didn't and that means a lot."

"You know that I would never walk away from Abby. Aria," their eyes locked and he moved a step closer. "I would never walk away from you." She wanted to move closer and let her lips crash onto his. She wanted to rest her hands around his neck and his arms around her waist. Just a lean a little closer, what's the harm?

"Ezra," she was so tempted to give into her desires but she wanted to make sure of something first. "will you break my heart?" she whispered, her voice almost cracking. This was what she was afraid of. Breaking. She was such a mess after their last break up that she can't imagine going through that again. He now understood what the real issue was and he wanted to fix it so badly. He hated knowing that he had made her suffer. He never wanted to hurt her. She had always put up a brave front ever since he met her days ago, he couldn't believe he had caused her so much pain.

"Never, I promise." And she let herself fall into his arms. She could feel his familiar soft warm lips against her own. They fit so perfectly together, like it was mean to be. His arms found their way to her waist and lifted her onto her tiptoes. They both pulled away and smiled, her head rested on his chest. She could hear his heartbeat and it matched her own. "I'll always be with you Aria." He was determined to let her know that he would never hurt her again.

"It's you and me, always."

**I hope you guys like this chapter! I really really want to thank everyone who reviewed/followed/favorite and read! Please keep reviewing and I would really love your opinions or suggestions! Thanks again xo**


	9. The Power of Shoes

9. The Power of Shoes

"_I'll always be with you Aria." He was determined to let her know that he would never hurt her again._

_ "It's you and me, always."_

"You know what? Forget it," Aria held up both her hands in surrender. She had ransacked her whole closet, and none of them looked good enough. She was in her room getting ready for her date with Ezra tonight, and her friends were helping out. Emily however, was once again running late. An hour late. She often misses their get-togethers lately and to be honest, it was getting on all of the girls' nerves. They missed her and she was rarely around.

"What? You can't just give up! What about this?" Spencer held up a random black dress and Aria scrunched up her face. It was knee-length with a turtleneck and had no embellishments whatsoever. Even Spencer quickly let go of the clothing as if it was the plague, once she actually saw what she picked up.

"What is that? Aria, are you kidding me right now?" Hanna seconded Aria's response to the hideous dress.

"I think my grandma's sister gave me this," Aria took the surprisingly soft clothing and hung it in her closet. "It was for my birthday five years ago." She could see Spencer softening to the idea of the dress just by knowing the story behind it but Hanna was still in total disgust. "She was a nun." Aria finally said to Hanna.

"Oh… Yeah I get it now." Hanna immediately whipped back around to the dresses on the bed. They had a 'no' pile growing at the foot of the bed and the 'maybe' dresses were laid out. There was a black strapless dress with floral prints, a red form fitting one-shoulder dress, and dark purple halter dress. Hanna picked up the latter and held it up in front of Aria who was looking in her full-length mirror. "Hmmm… do you mind if I borrow this?", Hanna said moving the dress from in front of Aria to herself.

"_That's_ what you've been thinking about?" Aria sighed. She was supposed to be picked up in an hour and she doesn't even know what she's wearing yet, but Hanna had managed to snag something of hers before the day was done. Hanna gave her a pleading look, obviously already fallen in love with the halter in her hands. "Fine, but you better find me something to wear fast."

"Thank you! I love you!" Hanna hugged the dress and tossed it on a chair she was sitting on just five minutes ago. "Look, you just need to choose between the two dresses and you're good to go! Why don't you try them on first so-"

"I'm here!" Emily's voice suddenly rang out from the living room. They could hear her run and when she showed up, she was holding up a paper bag and four cups of coffee from Starbucks.

"Finally! And did you ditch us to shop?" Spencer raised her eyebrows at the bag in Emily's hand. Emily was out of breath and took a moment to get her heartbeat to normal before talking again. She slumped her way to Aria's bed and sat on its only empty spot on the edge across from Spencer.

"I did not! This," Emily held out the bag toward Aria," is for you. And you're welcome for the coffee." She said to the rest of the girls who were already sipping the hot beverages. Aria opened the bag and peered inside. Aria gasped and the others followed when she pulled out a pair of this season's Louboutins.

"Em, where did you get these? They're not even in stores yet!" Before Aria could gape some more, the shoes were already snatched away and tried on by Hanna. "I think I'm in love," the blonde said as she posed in front of the mirror.

"You remember my aunt who works at Vogue? The shoes were in a photo shoot, and somehow they ended up giving it away and she got it." Emily turned to Hanna who was still admiring her feet in the mirror. "And I'm lending them to Aria for her date, not you."

"Fine," Hanna sighed as she took the shoes off and handed it over to Aria. Aria tried on the shoes and did poses similar to Hanna's. "Hey, this way we'll just have to choose whatever dress matches the shoes!" Hanna's face lit up as she said it as if she had just solved a million dollar question. And to Aria and Spencer, who had been going through every piece of clothing they owned the whole day, Hanna's solution was worth a million dollars.

"This one," Spencer held up the black strapless with floral prints and threw it at Aria. "Go try it on!" Spencer waved her away to change is her walk-in closet. As Aria closed the double doors, Spencer opened the lid of her coffee cup, wanting to take huge gulps of the now just warm drink.

"So how was meeting Fitz?" Emily asked the other girls about their unusual girls night. Spencer was already picking up some clothes, which were strewn around the room, and Emily helped with putting them back on their hangers and piling them on top of the others. Hanna however, chose to stay in her seat and hug her recently borrowed garment.

"It was interesting," Spencer slowly nodded her head, considering her choice of words. "And unexpectedly fun actually." The night _had_ been fun. Aria's friends never really knew Ezra except as their teacher, so having him for dinner in a casual scene was amusing to say the least.

"It was so obvious that he and Aria was still into each other," Hanna said as she joined the others on the bed and lay down in the middle.

"Can't believe I missed that," Emily had apologized for missing the mandatory girls night, for the first time ever, a million times but she was mostly sorry that she didn't get to see Ezra. If she had known he was going to show up, she would've gotten someone to cover for her at work. Just as all three girls fell on their backs to the soft king sized bed, the closet doors squeaked open and a very hot looking brunette walked out. They all sat up at once and had the same smile plastered on their faces. "You look-"

"Hot hot hot." Hanna finished for Emily. A grin grew on Aria's face and she knew that she finally found what to wear for her second-first date with Ezra.

"I think it's the shoes," Aria shrugged, not even joking.

"Agreed," the others replied in unison with the same seriousness.

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait but i've been swamped with work all week. I know this isn't a very long chapter. I was going to write until their date but decided to break it down. Tell me what you think and i would really like comments and suggestions! Thanks to all the new follow/favorites and remember that reviewing never gets old! xo**


	10. Blind

10. Blind

_They all sat up at once and had the same smile plastered on their faces. "You look-"_

_ "Hot hot hot." Hanna finished for Emily. A grin grew on Aria's face and she knew that she finally found what to wear for her second-first date with Ezra._

_ "I think it's the shoes," Aria shrugged, not even joking._

_ "Agreed," the others replied in unison with the same seriousness._

* * *

Aria cursed under her breath when she heard a knock from the door. It was 7 p.m., which meant the visitor on her doorstep must be Ezra. He said he would pick her up at 7 sharp, and he wasn't a minute late. And she still wasn't ready. She stood in the middle of her room, which looked like it had just been robbed. After finding what she would wear to her date, Spencer and Emily had cleaned up but it was now a mess again. Drawers were all pulled out and its contents spilt everywhere. Boxes were open on the floor, along with her bedcover. The bed was the only thing clean and tidy, and that's just because all of its pillows were strewn around the room. She was looking for her phone that had somehow magically disappeared. She tried calling it and she could hear it in her room. She just didn't know where it _exactly_ is.

"I'll get it!" Spencer shouted across the apartment from where she sat on the couch. She pulled out the silver spoon out of her mouth and put it in the bowl still half full of rum raisin ice cream. It was her and Aria's favorite flavor. Actually, it was also Hanna's and Emily's favorite. They weren't sure how it happened but they were all hooked on the same exact kind of dessert. She reluctantly lifted herself off the couch and clicked mute on the TV remote. She was watching reruns of Friends that had aired since this afternoon. She couldn't resist herself and had planted her ass in front of the TV. She wasn't sure what Aria was doing, but she had heard hushed curses and banging of furniture from behind the closed door. She wanted to help with whatever disaster was happening with Aria, but she was yelled at for 'disrupting' and banished from the bedroom when she knocked to ask what was going on. Must be the nerves for her date.

She was going to open the door when Abby came dashing in and beating her to the punch. Abby lifted herself on her tiptoes and pulled on the door handle. The wood opened wide and revealed Ezra supporting a goofy smile. The smile was actually out of mixed feelings of nerves, excitement and total panic from worrying that he would do something wrong and push Aria away. It was hard enough to get her back in the first place. He didn't want to blow his chance now that he got it.

"Ezra!" Abby greeted him and without any hesitation, pulled him by his arm into the loft. He stumbled after the little girl and got his bearings once Abby let go when she saw that he already passed the threshold. "Are those flowers?" Her eyes lit up when she spotted the mini bouquet in his left hand. They were lilies, Aria's favorite. He wanted tonight to go off perfectly. He had after all planned this to every little detail. Starting with lilies.

"Yeah, do you like lilies?" Ezra got on one knee so that he would be eye level with his daughter. Abby nodded vigorously. Aria often bought some whenever she needed a pick me up so the little girl was accustomed to its scent. Ezra pulled out one lily and held it up in front of Abby. "This one's for you."

"Thank you Ezra," she said as she carefully took the flower in her right hand. She held it up to her nose and took a whiff, the tip of the soft petals brushing her skin. She closed her eyes as she did so, savoring the sweet smell. Ezra smiled as he saw the smile creeping onto Abby's face. She looked so delicate and angelic. Pure. He finally stood upright and faced Spencer for the first time.

"Hey," he greeted her. She nodded and smiled as a reply and walked them towards the living room. The three of them sat comfortably on the couch waiting for Aria. She had shouted that she'd be out in a second, following some rustling sound from her bedroom. "So you're still up for tomorrow right?" Spencer looked confused. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at the ceiling to recall whatever it was Ezra referred to. "The open house. You _are_ coming, right?" Ezra reminded the tall brunette. He had sounded worried that she decided to leave him high and dry. And he really was more than worried. He was counting on her. He knew that if he brought Spencer, the best student Rosewood High had probably ever seen, he would win the vacation days Rook promised.

"Oh right!" Spencer quickly said. A horrified look had crossed Ezra's face just a second ago when he found out that she forgot about the open house she was supposed to help with. She didn't mean to ditch or anything, she was just caught up with work and hadn't been paying attention to anything else. Today was the only day she had off of work and she spent it with her beloved TV. It felt like an eternity since the last time she had just lounged at home with a bunch of food and a movie marathon. She used to have tons of those with the girls and she missed it. "Yeah, I'm coming. What time should I be there?"

"10 a.m.? Maybe you can… I mean it starts at 10:30 so you can be a little late," He had started out wanting to ask Spencer for help with the preparation of the open house but decided that it would be kind of rude. She was already coming to help _him_, that's more than enough. But Spencer could see that he was about to ask for help and she actually didn't mind. On the plus side, it would be kind of nice to meet her old teachers. Especially now that she's oh-so-successful.

"I'll come at 10, I'll help." Spencer gave him a meaningful smile that said 'I know what you were going to say and I don't mind at all.' He nodded gratefully, feeling embarrassed. Ezra decided to avert his eyes and look at Abby, who was still admiring the flower in her hands.

In just a matter of seconds, the clicks of a pair of heels broke the silence. It was Aria walking out of her bedroom looking better than ever. The strapless hugged her body and showed her curves in all the right places. Not to mention her killer Louboutins, the best part of it all. Ezra got up to his feet and couldn't take his eyes off of her. His mouth hung slightly agape, mesmerized by what was in front of his eyes.

"Earth to Ezra?" Aria waved an arm in front of his face to get his attention. He hadn't said a word since she stepped into the living room and she was worried that something was wrong with her clothes. A stain? A nip-slip? Anything. She had been nervous that something would go wrong tonight and this could be it. She didn't think it would get messed up this early though, she always thought it would be later at the restaurant or wherever he was taking her. Actually now that she thought about it, she didn't know where she was going on this date.

"I-Um… You-you look beautiful." It felt like forever since the last time he saw her dressed up for a date, especially one with him. Since the time they had bumped into each other in the elevator, she was always wearing something casual. Even though casual for Aria was probably a pair of heeled boots, a very… eclectic dress, and huge earrings with something absurd like feathers. The look would no doubt be ridiculous on anyone else but it was perfect for the 5'2 feet brunette. It was just so… her. Even though Ezra loved her sense of fashion, he didn't understand why she would want to put black smudge on her eyes or peacock feathers in her hair. He thought she was already stunning in a pair of sweat pants and one of his Hollis sweaters. Of course Aria would feel offended if he told her that even though he meant it as a compliment.

"Thanks," a blush crept onto her neck and cheeks. Her heart skipped a beat from the compliment and she realized that she hadn't felt that way about someone ever since she and Ezra broke up. She missed that feeling.

"This is for you," Ezra handed Aria the mini bouquet of lilies. Her eyes lit up once she saw them and took it up to her nose to sniff it just like what Abby had done when she got her own flower. She couldn't believe he still remembered the little things about her. First the dollhouse and now lilies.

"Thank you," she finally looked up at Ezra who was smiling intently at her. "I mean, _really_ thank you." He might have just thought of them as a bunch of plain white plants but the gesture meant much more to Aria. It meant that he cared about her and her feelings. It meant that even after keeping Abby from him, he could still forgive her.

"Are you guys going somewhere? The guys that bring flowers for mommy usually take her to dinner," Abby said causing Ezra to raise an eyebrow and Aria to blush. It was way too soon for them to be talking about other people they had seen after their breakup, especially if their daughter was the one to bring it up. Aria nodded followed with an 'Mhmm' as she put the lilies in a vase to distract herself from the embarrassment that must be showing on her face. "So Ezra's not staying?" A disappointed look crossed Abby's face. She had wanted to spend more time with him even though Ezra had actually spared as much time as he could to be with Abby.

"What do you say we go to your favorite dessert place on Monday?" Ezra walked over to Abby and knelt in front of her. She had mentioned it in their dinner last time and he of course didn't forget along with everything else she said. Abby immediately leaped off the couch and hugged Ezra while jumping up and down.

"Can I, mom? Please please please!" Aria was definitely what you called a 'fun' mom, but she was surprisingly strict about eating dessert. The only person she trusted with Abby's daily eating was Spencer. However with Abby's pleading eyes staring at her right now, she couldn't help but allow it.

"Okay," She finally said after a few beats. Abby was on top of the world. This kind of thing didn't happen everyday for her. "Now I have to go, don't sleep too late okay?" Abby nodded still with a grin plastered on her face. Aria kissed her cheek and headed towards the door. Ezra followed behind her after giving his daughter a kiss on the forehead and saying his goodbyes.

* * *

"So where _are_ we going?" Aria asked as soon as they both stepped out of the building into the parking lot. The smell of rain and grass filled their nostrils and the chilly wind felt colder to their skin than they thought it would. Aria thanked God she had decided to grab a leather jacket at the last minute and had put it on in the elevator. She easily walked on the wet pavement in 5-inch stilettos, expertly avoiding puddles. It had been raining earlier that day and she could still see faint traces of a rainbow in the sky. She and Abby had looked up at it through the window, admiring how something so beautiful could even exist.

They headed towards the familiar silver sedan, which looked almost precisely the same as it did years ago when she used to have secret meetings in alleys with him in this exact vehicle. Except for the faded Hollis bumper sticker that Aria could still remember it being blue but was now a soft grey even almost white, it's writing barely readable. She also noticed some scratches and minor dents that weren't there back then. Ezra was actually a pretty good driver but he had never been a careful one. Fortunately, he wasn't reckless enough to put himself in danger.

Ezra shook his head as he opened the car door for her, as always a perfect gentleman. "You'll have to wait and see." He had planned to surprise her with their destination tonight. He saw tonight as a re-do of their first date and he didn't want it to be some average dinner or a movie or whatever people usually do on first dates. He wanted it to be special. Ezra closed the door and got into his own seat before putting on the seat belt. Aria was about to protest about not have_ any_ clue to where he was taking her, when he held up a finger to stop her. He reached into a compartment and pulled out a sleeping mask. "Put it on."

"What?!" Aria raised an eyebrow. The sleeping mask hanging from Ezra's hand looked comfortable and somehow inviting but the idea of being blindfolded made her even more nervous than she already was. She always knew that he was a romantic but she didn't even suspect this coming.

"Come here," He motioned for her to come closer so that he could put it on for her. She did and he slipped it on her head easily, careful not to mess up her hair. The mask was a plain dark blue he had gotten from an airplane. He wasn't sure if you're actually allowed to take those things but he had fallen in love with its soft velvet fabric and slipped it into his bag when the stewardess wasn't looking. It wasn't technically stealing, right?

"Ezra, I can't see anything." Aria sounded worried. She hated feeling hopeless, which is exactly what she felt right now. She preferred being in control of situations. If she couldn't even see where she was, how was she supposed to make sure everything goes well tonight?

"That's kind of the point," Ezra said with a slight chuckle. "Look, don't worry okay? I'm right here." He grabbed her hand and she felt its warmth spread through her body. It was amazing how just a single touch from him can have that kind of effect. No one else ever made her feel that way. She heard the engine roar and it felt like the car started moving, but she could still feel his fingers intertwined with her own. It somehow made her feel better, like everything was going to be just fine.

It was just a few minutes into the drive when Aria asked if they had already arrived. "Are we there yet?" She was growing impatient especially when all she could see was the back of her eyelids.

"Of course not Aria, it's only been a few minutes." Ezra smiled, remembering how impatient she was. It might be annoying to some people but he didn't mind. In fact, it was one of the things he loved about her. One of the million things. "Unless you want to eat on the side of the road..." Aria sighed in frustration.

"So we are eating!" Aria said, victory showing in her voice. She sounded pleased that she at least got one clue to whatever they were going to do tonight. Ezra couldn't help laughing at how she was acting. He knew that not knowing anything was bugging Aria but he wanted her to be genuinely surprised when the blindfold –or at least the eye mask he used as a blindfold- goes off. With what he's planning, he's pretty sure that she would be surprised anyway. But better safe than sorry.

"Yes, we are. Wouldn't want you to starve." They finally arrived at the destination and Ezra expertly pulled into a parking space. He hit the breaks and the car stopped, which cause Aria to gasp in her seat. "We're here, but don't take off the mask yet. Wait until we get inside."

"You mean I have to wear this into the building?" Ezra answered her question with a yes and she wasn't sure if she should think it's sweet of him to plan a surprise for her or to be worried that she would trip while walking. "I don't think that's a good idea…" She decided to side on the latter. With the nerves she had tonight, who knew what clumsy thing she would do without her vision.

"Don't worry, I'll guide you there. And if you're concerned about people staring I'm sure they'll get the idea that I'm just trying to surprise you." Aria gulped. There are a lot of people here? She didn't even think about the people staring at her in the weird sleeping mask. She heard Ezra's car door open and figured that he was probably getting to her side of the car so that he could open it and take her inside. She considered peeping while he wasn't around to see, but decided against it. Her own door opened and she could hear the crowd of people. The sound was distant but it wasn't very faint. She could tell there were a bunch of people there tonight but not too much that she would have to squeeze through a crowd.

Aria felt Ezra's hands taking both of her own and his calming voice telling her to slowly step out of the car. She put her feet out of the car one by one, scraping the heels on the ground. It sounded like pavement, like in an open parking lot. Ezra laughed at her action commenting that she would really be helpful if they were kidnapped and blindfolded, to figure out where they are. She joined him in the soft laughter that came along, which calmed her nerves but not by much. She got up on her feet and took a step forward but bumped into something hard, which could only be Ezra because he grunted from pain.

"I-I'm so sorry I thought you wer-" Aria was about to ramble on an apology but Ezra cut her off.

"It's okay, come on." She could hear double beeps nearby, which was Ezra locking his car. After what sounded like him checking the car doors and slipping the keys into his pocket jeans, he told Aria to keep walking in the direction he was moving her towards. After a few stumbles over pebbles and steps, they were finally inside a building. Aria could feel music thumping in her ears yet not too loud, and could immediately tell that it was a live music. There was a crowd mildly cheering and she could smell alcohol and grease. The scent reminded her of something or somewhere, but she didn't know exactly what. Then she heard people playing darts and waitresses yelling orders. Someone called for a bartender and there were scrapes of wooden stools. She suddenly had an idea of where she might be. Just then she felt the sleeping mask lifted off of her head and she blinked repeatedly to get used to the light. It didn't take her too long, since the room was slightly dim with plain yellow Christmas lights decorating the walls. She instantly recognized the place. Her suspicion had been right.

"Ezra," It was all she could say. She tried to form words, any words, but nothing came up. Instead, a genuine smile took over face and reached her eyes. "I don't know what to say, I can't believe we're here." Ezra watched her expression and it made his heart skipped a beat. She was speechless. It was the exact reaction he wanted and he was so glad he had been the one who caused it.

"Let's find a seat." He grabbed her hand and led her into the crowd.

**Okay, first of all let me say sorry. I really am, a lot. It's been ages since I updated but finals are coming up and I'm studying 24/7, literally. School will be over in about a month so I'll be able to write and update whenever I want by then! Again, thank you for reviews and follow/favorites! Even after I haven't updated in a while, I got some new readers :) Also thank you to readers who have been here from the very first chapter! **

**So where do you think are they? I kind of think it's pretty obvious but maybe not either. Tell me your guesses in reviews, and as always... please review!**

**mickrawson: It actually isn't inspired by that song.. I actually don't even know that song hahha but somehow I want to check t out now. Thanks for reading and the review!**

**Also, i reread my chapters and realized that there are like a million grammatical errors and misspellings. I've cursed myself for them and I apologize! **


	11. Tinted Cherry Chapstick

11. Tinted Cherry Chapstick

"_Ezra," It was all she could say. She tried to form words, any words, but nothing came up. Instead, a genuine smile took over face and reached her eyes. "I don't know what to say, I can't believe we're here." Ezra watched her expression and it made his heart skipped a beat. She was speechless. It was the exact reaction he wanted and he was so glad he had been the one who caused it._

"_Let's find a seat." He grabbed her hand and led her into the crowd._

There was a small table with two wooden stools available next to the dance floor, which was right in front of the band. They both took a seat and Ezra called for a waitress.

"I thought this place shut down," Aria said, still not believing where she was. Last time she was here, there were barely anyone and the place was quite run down. She still loved it though, the place drew her in. Especially with the memories she had in there. After her break up with Ezra, she had visited Rosewood and came here to see it one last time but it was already closed. She still remembered the feeling that had struck her as soon as she saw the faded 'Closed' sign and dusty windows. To Aria, it represented the end of her and Ezra's relationship. This place was the only thing she had left of their memories and she lost that. Now however, she could see that the place was a hit. The newly added live music and dance floor probably had something to do with that fact. They weren't there before, she was sure of it. Couples and groups of people filled the dance floor and moved to the music. The band was very good, and even Aria recognized them. Unfortunately, she couldn't remember how she knew them.

"Yeah, I found out a few days ago." Ezra had been reminiscing about his and Aria's relationship and came here to just stare at the old building only to find it open and scheduled for a live music Friday night. He couldn't believe it himself when he saw the place packed. He had hoped that Aria hadn't found out about it being re-opened so that he could take her there and surprise her. Thankfully, she hadn't and his plan went off without a hitch. There were more to come though. He just hoped they would be a success too. A waitress in the uniform of a black v-neck t-shirt, a black short skirt and black apron finally came with two menus tucked under her left arm and a note pad in her hand. She wore heavy eye make up and matte red lipstick, which actually looked good on her almost porcelain skin. A chewed up pen was tucked behind her ear, its cap tangled in some of her black hair, which was tied up in a ponytail. She placed the menus in the table and gave them a friendly smile as she expertly took the pen from behind her ear despite the fact that it was tangled just a second ago.

"Welcome to Snookers, do you want to order now or should I come back in a minute?" Her tone was cheerful yet not too much so that it wasn't annoying.

"I already know what I want, what about you?" Aria said after scanning the options. She knew the menu by heart, but still checked if there were any new additions, which there weren't.

"Same here," Ezra said after giving the menu a quick glance. Like Aria, he had the list memorized. "I'll have a beer and a cheese burger with fries."

"Make them two," Aria ordered. It was always what she had when she ate here. The waitress took the menus and left, leaving the two alone. The band ended a song and the crowd stopped dancing to applaud. The male lead singer grabbed a stool for himself and sat on it, taking the mike in his hands to say something.

"Do you know them?" Ezra asked, motioning to the band.

"I recognize their sound and there's something about them that's so familiar but I can't really put my finger on it. Did you by any chance see the name of the band when we came in?" She of course didn't see with a blindfold on, but maybe Ezra did. The band name was actually pretty hard to not notice since it was written in huge letters on a banner hung out front.

"They're actually a really famous band," Ezra said, not really answering her question. But before she could ask some more, the singer talked into the microphone.

"As some of you know, we don't really take requests but anyone that plays in Snookers has to so I guess we do now." He joked playfully, getting laughs from the audience. Snookers was apparently now a quite famous place and anyone who was someone played there. "First up is a request from Ezra." Aria raised her eyebrows at the man next to him and he gave her a meaningful smile. It said 'Just listen, you'll see why'. "His message was B-26, where have you been?" Aria smiled at this, softly chuckling. He had requested a song for her! It was so sweet. But from the look on Ezra's face, it looked like there was still something else. She racked her brain for any idea to what else he could possibly have up his sleeve but came up empty. Snookers, B-26; what else could there be? "Ladies and gentlemen, here's a song from my personal favorites." The first notes from the guitar played and Aria instantly recognized the song.

"Oh my god, it's them!" She finally realized who the band was. Believe it or not, she was as surprised about the band and the song as she was about Snookers being re-opened.

"What do you say to a dance?" Ezra said as he stood up and offered his hand to Aria. She gave him a shy smile and gave him her own hand, hopping off her stool and moved the leather jacket from her lap onto the table. He led her onto the dance floor, resting his hands on her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head on his chest as the first words of the song filled the room through the huge speakers. _Happiness feels a lot like sorrow…_

They both swayed to the music, listening intently on the words and enjoying the song. They just danced, lost in their own thoughts. None of them spoke but they knew that they were thinking about the same thing. The first time they met. It was right here, in this building. In the bar just a few feet away, sitting on stools they probably used just seconds ago. They still remembered the flyers stuck on the bulletin board and the book Ezra was reading. They still remembered the perfume Aria wore, and how it blended with the odor in the bathroom. It wasn't the ideal place to meet, but it was perfect.

Aria looked up at him, a smile on her face. She honestly couldn't believe he had all this planned out. Tonight was more than just flawless, thanks to Ezra. It made her wonder what was so bad that happened between the two of them that they broke up in the first place. She loved him, he loved her. What was the problem? Aria didn't know it but Ezra was wondering the same thing. Looking at her with the sweet look on her face, he was mesmerized. Like she was the only thing that mattered in the whole world.

"Ezra," Aria wanted to say the thing that had been on her mind this whole time. "I miss you." She said, really meaning it. He used to be the person she knew she could count on, someone to make her feel better at the end of the day when she felt like the whole world was crashing down around her. Spencer was right, Ezra was the one. She knew it in her heart, she could feel it. She always knew since that first day in this very building.

"I miss you too." Ezra really really did. Maybe more than Aria if it was even possible. When they were separated, Aria had Abby. She had someone worth living for, someone she unconditionally loved and cared about. Aria was that person for Ezra. So when he lost her, Ezra himself felt lost. He didn't have anyone in his life other than friends and family. He went out with some people but always ended up comparing them with Aria. How they didn't have her round hazel eyes or long dark hair. How they didn't laugh the way she did. Even how they didn't have ten rings on their fingers at a time or just one earring on.

"I'm here now, and I'll make sure I'm staying this time." Aria looked hesitant to believe him. He didn't blame her. He knew they were both broken after the break up, and they wouldn't survive another one. Since that day in the elevator, he could see that Aria had her guard up. The first time they kissed since then, he found out that she was terrified of breaking again. She might have said that she didn't want to jump into another relationship with him because she was worried that something might happen, and affect Abby's relationship with her father but he knew it was also something else. She was afraid that something might happen, period. Tonight was a way of telling her that he wasn't ever letting her go again. "I promise."

"I'll hold you to that." Aria would. If that promise was broken, so would she. Aria was sure of it. "_That's_ a promise."

* * *

It was almost midnight and Snookers was getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. Aria could make out the writing 'The Fray' on the huge banner and couples walking out towards their cars.

"Thank you for tonight," Aria looked at Ezra, who had both his hands on the steering wheel and eyes on the road. "It's been a while since I had something fun like that. It's not exactly easy juggling classes with a three year old on your hands."

"I can only imagine," Ezra still didn't know how Aria does it. "Thank god you have Spencer, right?" Aria nodded. She was so grateful that Spencer was always there to help. She honestly thinks that she wouldn't be able to get through half the things she did without Spencer's help. "You know that you have me too right?"

"I know," Aria gave him a faint smile.

"I can take care of her when you have classes, I would really like to spend as much time with her as I can." Ezra already told her that he wanted to be involved as much as he could but he wanted to make sure that Aria took what he said seriously.

"I know Ezra, don't worry. You can see her anytime you want. Just call before showing up on my doorstep to make sure Abby's actually there, okay?" Aria said chuckling.

"Promise I won't interrupt on any more girls' night," Ezra said, referring to the last time he came to see Abby and ended up joining girls' night with Hanna, Caleb, and Spencer. It was fun, but he didn't want to intrude.

Minutes later Ezra pulled up in front of Aria's building. He got out and jogged to her side of the car to open the door. She got out and balanced herself in her heels. Ezra stared at them, still bewildered at how easily women walk in them. He was pretty sure he would fall face first in the first step in them.

"I had an amazing time tonight," Aria looked up at him, even in her heels. She contemplated whether or not she should kiss him goodnight. Then she wondered if he would kiss her. Their last kiss on her doorstep was still in the back of her head, reminding her how good it felt.

"Me too, I'm glad we had fun." Ezra had planned to give her a goodnight kiss. It was mandatory after a good date, wasn't it? It didn't matter, he _wanted_ to kiss her. He wanted to when they danced, and he still does now. He stared at her full lips, her lipstick a hint of pink. His eyes flickered back up at her eyes, catching her staring at his own lips. It was just a second before she looked back into his blue eyes, but he knew what he saw. He could feel their lips getting closer together, now just inches apart. He felt her breath against his skin before he captured her lips in his own. They were as soft and warm as he remembered, even though his memories didn't give her justice. He tasted cherry, like he always did whenever he kissed her. Aria moved her lips against his, resting her palms on the sides of his face. She felt his hand roam around her back, giving her even more shivers than the kiss and chilly wind already was. They finally broke apart after a while, taking a much needed deep breath.

Ezra moved a few inches away to take a look at Aria, who was clearly blushing even in the dark night. There were weirdly only two street lamps on tonight. Aria still felt her heart beating faster than it usually did, matching Ezra's own heartbeat.

"Goodnight Ezra," She said as she walked away towards the entrance of the building.

"Goodnight," He called after her, which caused Aria to look back and give him one last smile before disappearing into the building.

**What do you guys think about the date? Tell me! And thanks for reading, please please please review. Even just a simple review would be great! Love you, xo**


	12. Tease

12. Tease

"_Goodnight Ezra," She said as she walked away towards the entrance of the building._

"_Goodnight," He called after her, which caused Aria to look back and give him one last smile before disappearing into the building._

* * *

Spencer's oxford shoes made soft clicks as it slapped against the damp pavement, which shone from the bright warm sunshine despite the fact that it was raining heavily just five minutes ago. The cars covered in rain were proof of that. She took off her shades and slipped it into her tote bag as she stepped into the familiar building of Rosewood High School. Everything still looked the same as they were when she went here. Her feet were still standing on cream marble floors, the walls still lined with lockers in a darker shade of the same color, and a rectangular window in the classroom doors still looked into individual tables and chairs facing a blackboard. Spencer could even imagine walking down that hallway with her friends into the ladies' room. Just as she was reminiscing, a familiar voice called her name.

"Spencer? Spencer Hastings?" It was the principal, Evan Rook. He looked slightly older; yet still as merry as the day he welcomed her on stage to let her give the valedictorian speech for graduation. Spencer recognized him, but he didn't give her a chance to speak up. "It's me, the principal." He shot her a smile, showing his teeth, as he walked down the hallway towards her.

"Yes, of course I remember! Mr. Rook, how are you?" She began walking to meet him halfway. How could she forget? She was often called in to the principal office, though it was for her achievements.

"I'm great, what are you doing here?" he furrowed his eyebrows behind a pair of frameless eyeglasses.

"Oh, I'm one of the alumni helping out the open house. It's in the cafeteria, right?" Rook gestured for her to follow him to the quite large cafeteria. Just like everything else, it was exactly as how she remembered it except for the absence of round lunch tables and benches. Instead there were rectangular tables you could fold, strategically positioned around the room. There weren't the familiar odor of sweat and bleach either, which she still remembered from the back of her mind.

"Who's the lucky teacher you're helping out?" Rook said once they entered the room. Spencer scanned the place for Ezra as she answered her former principal.

"Mr. Fitz, is he here?" Rook looked around with her and finally landed his gaze on a man in a white shirt with its sleeves rolled up, paired with a grey vest and tie. He was arranging some brochures on the table and moving his bag from the table onto his chair.

"There he is!" He pointed at Ezra, who was rearranging the brochures in a different position out of nerves. And it showed very well. "Ezra!" Rook called as he walked towards the table at the side of the room with Spencer just a step behind.

"Ro-Evan," Ezra was still getting used to calling the older man by his first name. "I see you've met my alumni," he shot Spencer a smile.

"I did, can't believe you got a Hastings! I think you got this one in the bag," Rook said referring to the little contest he had made with the prize of extra days off work for the one with the best alumni. "How'd you track her down in such short notice anyway?"

"Um, I-uh…" Ezra didn't really know what to say. 'She's the best friend of a former student who is also the mother of my child, who I just knew about'? He's pretty sure Rook, er, Evan wouldn't take that very well.

"It's a long story," Spencer cut in. "Let's just say fate was on his side," Spencer chuckled, trying her best to sound light.

"Oh well, you kids get to work! The contest's not over yet," he said before walking away with a bounce to his steps.

"Thank you for coming and helping me with this, I really appreciate it." Ezra said, meaning every word. He wanted to get on Spencer's best side; she was after all Aria's, the love of his life, best friend. He could only hope that she would say good things about him.

"No problem," She said with a friendly tone, yet still with enough edge. It's not that she didn't like him, but as much as she encouraged Aria that Ezra was a good guy and told her to go 'get' him, she was still very protective of her best friend when it comes to Ezra. She knew how much Aria loved the guy and was pretty sure that the tiny woman wouldn't bare another heartbreak from him. "So anything I can do to help?"

"Not really, all you have to do is answer questions from parents and well… brag about the school and maybe even about how Rosewood High has helped you achieve everything you've got." Ezra grabbed another chair and placed it behind Spencer for her to sit. "The open house would probably start in about 10 minutes."

"Thanks," She took her seat and Ezra took his. It was silent for a few minutes, the tension thick between the two adults. Ezra could see that Spencer wasn't exactly welcoming him with open arms into her and Aria's life, and if he looked at things from her perspective, he could see why. She was just trying to look out for her best friend. From the years of knowing Aria and her friends, it was pretty clear that they would do anything for each other. _Anything_. But what Spencer didn't know was that Ezra loved Aria as much as she loved him. At least he hoped she does. They had just been on one date since they met around a week ago. They had only met around _a week ago_. The last week had past him in a blur. The good kind. Nerve wrecking, but perfect.

"Look, I just want you to know that I really care about Aria and Abby. I hope that we-" Before Ezra could finish his sentence, Rook's voice interrupted him. Evan was standing by the double doors, talking to a crowd of parents.

"Ladies and gentleman," he started. "Please visit our teachers in their own tables, rotating around the room. I'm sure there'll be plenty of space for at most three parents in each table. Thank you." With that, the crowd scattered into small groups and two couples approached Ezra and Spencer's table.

"Good morning, I'm Ezra Fitz the English teacher here. This is one of our alumni, Spencer Hastings. If you have any questions, feel free to ask." He started explaining about the school and the teaching program, getting a few questions from the two parents before him. He occasionally stole glance towards Spencer, who looked cool as a cucumber with an ever-present smile and perfect posture like a debutante. He figured that in a small town like Rosewood, you had to keep up appearances. It was _necessary_. Especially for someone like Spencer. He knew enough from Aria how her family was like and the kind of pressure she had. And then suddenly he remembered that she wasn't the same high school girl under her parents' thumb anymore. She was an adult. But that didn't mean she wasn't a polished perfectionist either. She was raised that way. It's not exactly a personality you can just leave behind as you leave for college.

"After Rosewood I went to New York, and some students went to…" Spencer began explaining to the parents, her voice breaking Ezra's train of thoughts. The attention was now focused on her, so Ezra took the time to figure out what he wanted to say to Spencer exactly. If Rook hadn't interrupted him, then Spencer would've seen that Ezra actually didn't have an end to his little speech earlier. Every time Spencer glanced his way, he always somehow felt slightly frightened. She was in a way like Aria's parent, giving him chills with a single look. Oh God. Aria's parents. He hadn't even thought about them. Did they know he was back? Did they even know that he was Abby's father? If they did, he was pretty shocked that Ella, the actually petrifying woman, hadn't tracked him down to California and burst through his door in the middle of the night.

Before he knew it, the parents were gone and Ezra and Spencer were once again left alone. He opened his mouth to finish his previous 'talk' even though he still didn't exactly have a complete sentence in mind, but Spencer beat him to the punch.

"I know that you care about Abby. She _is_ your daughter," Spencer turned slightly to face him.

"And Aria," Ezra cut in, and Spencer shot him a look that made him wish he hadn't interrupted her.

"Yes, and Aria." Spencer said before taking a breath. "And I really do want Abby to have a father but I swear to God Ezra, if you hurt _any_ of the two-"

"I won't. Never." Spencer shot him the same look, and he remembered not to interrupt. But instead of continuing, Spencer gave him a slight nod. A sign of agreement between the both of them. Somehow, just like that, the tension was broken. Spencer slumped in her seat and crossed her legs, giving him a relaxed smile.

"So how was your date?" Spencer asked nonchalantly, grabbing a bottle of coffee from her bag and sipping it. Ezra raised his eyebrows at the sudden change of mood. To be honest, he was impressed. He realized that Spencer had controlled the tension between them all along. From the cold looks he would get at every glance, the rigid way she sat in her chair, and the absence of any emotion in anything she said to him. Now she was lounging in her seat, a playful look in her eyes as she tried to get him to open up about his date with Aria. He chuckled lightly, amused. Spencer just sat there acting innocent, although it was no secret what she did. Typical lawyer.

"Is that what parents talk about in an open house?" Suddenly someone said, appearing in front of their table out of nowhere.

"Hardy, what are you doing here?" Ezra greeted his friend, as Spencer set down her bottle on the floor and got on her feet.

"And hello to you too. Can't I see how my buddy's doing on his new job?" He then looked at Spencer, widening his smile as he caught her eyes. "Also, I heard that Aria's 'best friend' was helping out." He referred to a joke from when they first met in Spencer's loft.

"There you go," Ezra said, pointing out the real reason Hardy had come by.

"Hey Hardy," Spencer said, faintly blushing. "Got a kid you're sending to high school?" she joked. Ezra noticed the slight rush of scarlet on her neck and cheeks, and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Spencer was actually attracted to Hardy. To be fair, his former college roommate was what most women would call handsome and charming. And Ezra would never admit it to Hardy, but the term 'hot' was often used by his female friends when introduced to the smooth talking guy.

"Like I said, just wanted to see someone." He was obviously talking about Spencer without really saying it, and she just played along.

"Really? Is she around here somewhere? I'm sure she'd like to see you too." Ezra now just stood in his spot, trying his best not to laugh. The idea of Spencer and his best friend flirting was hilarious in his head.

"You would, wouldn't you?" Hardy said, finally addressing Spencer as the 'she'. "In that case, what about sometime next week? Would you like to see me then? Maybe dinner?" Hardy directly asked the question.

"That'd be great. I get off work early on Tuesday, see you then?" Spencer didn't show it, but her heart was pounding in her chest. She hadn't felt this nervous about a guy for while now. She almost forgot how exciting it was.

"I'll pick you up at 8," Hardy said then averted his attention to Ezra, a hand clasped around his mouth to hold back a laugh. "Are you serious right now? You're actually laughing?" Spencer couldn't help but turn red at the sight of Ezra laughing at them.

"I'm sorry, it's just that-" Ezra didn't really know how to phrase how weird the situation was to him, so he just gestured between Spencer and Hardy.

"Whatever man, I'll see you around." Hardy left after shooting Spencer a boyish grin. Ezra was still obviously laughing, and Spencer shoved him playfully.

"Shut up Ezra!" Spencer whisper shouted, sounding almost like a teased little girl.

**Yes, I know you hate me. It's been a while since I updated but blame it on finals! I did get through the first half of it already a couple of weeks ago. There's another week of finals coming up in about 4 weeks so until then, I can't promise to update regularly. But after, I swear I won't have breaks from writing again. **

**Well, enough of that. What do you guys think about this chapter? It's really just about Hardy asking Soencer out but quite necessary somehow. Don't forget to review! Comments, criticism-anything, really- is welcome! Again, thanks for reading!**

**Reply to HorseyGal0923: Thanks! And I agree, I miss the old adorble Ezria :( Let's just hope Marlene will show us some mercy especially after the heartbreaking break up in the finale...  
**

**p.s. sorry for the rant guys! :p**


	13. Deja Vu Not

13. Deja Vu… Not.

"_I'm sorry, it's just that-" Ezra didn't really know how to phrase how weird the situation was to him, so he just gestured between Spencer and Hardy._

"_Whatever man, I'll see you around." Hardy left after shooting Spencer a boyish grin. Ezra was still obviously laughing, and Spencer shoved him playfully._

"_Shut up Ezra!" Spencer whisper shouted, sounding almost like a teased little girl._

* * *

Ezra looked up at the cream colored walls looming over him. Even though it wasn't even that tall, the building that stood before him looked ominous. He remembered this feeling. Now that he thought about it, that day was ages ago. The day after Labor Day. The day after he met the most gorgeous girl. The day he found out that same girl was out of his reach even though she was just three rows away. His first day of teaching. Only then did he realize that there was nothing to be scared of. This _wasn't_ his first day here. Technically, he already taught here for quite a while and now was just… continuing his job. The thought calmed his nerves. Nothing could possibly go wrong today. For one, he knew he wouldn't find a doe-eyed brunette he had made out with sitting in his class. That was one thing he was sure about. With one final deep breath, the man who had seemed to just be staring into space clutching his messenger bag with both arms walked into the building where hundreds of hormonal teenagers spent most of four years of their lives in. High school.

Students roamed around the hallways to either get to their locker, find their friends, or rush to get their books before the bell rang. Ezra observed his surrounding while getting to his classroom, finding himself thinking about how he used to exchange meaningful glances with Aria in this exact hallway. He caught a few seniors who he taught years ago staring, obviously recognizing him. He just gave them a friendly smile and quickly got in his classroom. The door was still open behind him but he felt better in the empty room. It took him a moment to realize that he got the same classroom he taught in before quitting, when Aria still hadn't graduated. He smiled at the memories of their after class 'talks' and walked over to his desk to get ready.

It was just a few minutes later when the bell rang and students started pouring in. A few students he vaguely recognized greeted him as they got to their seats. In a matter of seconds, the room was silent and all eyes were on him. Subconsciously, he looked at the seat in the third row where Aria used to sit beside her friend Emily. Now a blond guy with baby blue eyes supporting the school's varsity jacket looked up at him from that seat. Definitely not the hazel orbs he used to lose himself in. Shaking the memory away, he introduced himself.

"I'm Mr. Fitz, your new English teacher. Some of you probably still remember me from around four years ago," A few guys nodded at this and he continued. "Okay, well let's just get started. We're going to talk about the book To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee." He passed around the books, getting a few 'Hey Mr. Fitz' from students who already knew him as he reached their table. He then got back to his position in front of the class and casually leaned on his desk, a force of habit. "Has anyone read-" suddenly there was a knock on the closed door and he turned his head to see who it was. To his surprise, it was Aria. He excused himself and stepped out, leaving the class unattended. Only then did Ezra see that Abby was standing next to her, holding her hand.

"Aria, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I am so so so sorry to interrupt but I have a test in like-" Aria glanced at her watch and started panicking when she saw what time it was. "Five minutes! And Ella is out of town, Spencer is at some stupid meeting, Byron is God knows where-" It was obvious that she was panicking as she yelled in hushed tones.

"Calm down, what's going on?" Ezra cut in before Aria could hyperventilate.

"I need you to watch Abby," Aria finally said. Ezra just widened his eyes in shock, not really knowing what to say. He didn't know if he could take care of her while teaching, but he couldn't exactly say no either. Who else was going to watch Abby? "I know you have to teach but you can just let her color or something, please?" Aria looked helpless and flustered. Ezra couldn't possibly say no.

"Okay, I guess." So much for nothing going wrong today. Don't take it the wrong way; he would love to watch Abby. It's just that it was his _first_ _class_ of his _first day_ on the job. He wasn't sure taking his daughter to work was something the principal would be fine with. He didn't know if it was even allowed.

"Thank you," Aria bent down to Abby's height and kissed her on the cheek. "Stay with Ezra and be a good girl for mommy. I'll pick you up in a couple of hours." Abby just nodded, clutching her tiny bunny-shaped backpack. Aria waved goodbye to both of them before running out the building, the tapping of her heels echoing in the empty hallway.

"Hey Abby," Ezra picked her up and carried her in. Students started whispering amongst each other as soon as they saw the little girl in his arms. He sat her on his chair, and slightly bent down to meet Abby's eyes. "Wait a minute, okay?" Again, she just nodded. He turned back to the class full of students with raised and furrowed eyebrows, getting back to his lesson. "You know what? It's the first day of school, why don't you just read the first five chapters and we'll discuss it tomorrow. Note down your ideas on those chapters to contribute to the discussion tomorrow, any questions?" A hand shot up from the back of the class, and Ezra motioned for her to talk. It was one of his old students, one on the honor roll if he remembered correctly. He did a double take of the girl and was sure, the memory of handing her perfectly done papers coming back to him.

"Is she your daughter?" It wasn't exactly the kind of question Ezra meant, but wasn't surprised that she asked it. He also remembered that she was confident to speak her mind. Ezra looked back at his daughter who sat tight where he left her, and then back at his student.

"Yes, she is." Students shared looks, most of them noticeably glancing at his hands to check for a wedding ring and looking rather shocked when finding none. "Let's get back to the task at hand. I'll ask you about the assigned chapters tomorrow so if you can't finish them right now, take some time to read at home." He was expecting grunts and sighs but the attention was still at Abby, their minds wondering about the missing ring. Ezra just lightly sighed, walking behind his desk to get to his daughter.

"Have you had breakfast?" Ezra asked after getting down on one knee in front of the chair to match Abby's height. He noticed that the usually chatty little girl hadn't said anything since he met her.

"Yes, I'm just thirsty." Even now when Abby talked, her voice was tiny. He had a feeling that she was keeping her voice down on purpose, aware of a few pairs of watchful eyes from behind the allotted books. He couldn't help but smile at this, realizing that she was actually shy.

"Let's see what you have here," Ezra took the white backpack and opened it, finding a water bottle. He uncapped it before handing it over.

"I'm done Ezra," She said after having gulped down her drink through the attached straw, leaving it only half full. He took the bottle and put it back in the bag, then pulled out a coloring book and pencil case.

"You want to color?" Abby nodded her head vigorously, a grin spreading on her face when she spotted the book. He picked her up and let her sit on the table, placing the book and the opened pencil case in front of her. He took his seat and watched her color, only glancing at the rest of the class a few times. He knew that only a handful of students were engrossed in the book as the rest observed him and Abby, but he really didn't care. He was finally getting some time with his daughter that he realized was long overdue. Abby showed him what she'd done every time she finished a picture, looking satisfied with her messy work. All Ezra could do was compliment her, not being able to hold back his smile.

* * *

Word about his daughter and 'single status' had already spread, the biggest-and actually first-gossip of the school year. He had second period free, spending the time alone with Abby. They practically 'robbed' the school's vending machine, letting Abby put in the money and press the buttons. Then after spending a huge chunk of Ezra's money, they snacked on the food in class. Abby told stories about Aria and her friends and stuff Ezra had missed while he was gone. Ezra was feeling closer with his daughter by the second, but a part of him was sad and frankly mad at no one in particular that he wasn't there from the start. But seeing Abby's excitement as she told those stories, he pushed the thought away. Now wasn't the time to think about that. It was his time with Abby.

Time flew by and before any of them knew it, the bell for third period rang. His class was once again filled with students, most of them taking interest in Abby as they filed in. Some of the students waved and chuckled at all the vending machine food spread around the table. Abby, being the confident girl that she was, waved back and offered one of the students a candy. It took the class a few minutes to settle down, but they eventually did and Ezra gave them the same assignment he gave to his first period class.

Around fifteen minutes into the class, there was once again a knock on his door. It was Aria, picking up Abby as promised. She had come in the middle of class on purpose, knowing that the hall would be empty and she wouldn't have to bump into anyone she knew. She would rather avoid questions about her daughter and relationship with her former teacher. She knew once word got out that Aria was back from New York with a kid of her own, she would be what everyone talked about. That was the problem with small towns. Everybody talked. She wasn't trying to keep anything hidden, just not really up for interrogation and small talk.

Ezra picked Abby up and got her on her feet with her bag in hand, and then led her out after excusing himself.

"Hey sweetie," Aria said as soon as all three were on the other side of the door. "Did you have fun?"

"So much fun! We colored and ate from the vending machine," Abby said sounding like she had the most fun ever in a dull local high school. At the mention of 'vending machine', Aria raised her eyebrows at Ezra.

"You gave Abby _vending machine_ food?" She made it sound like he fed her liquor-mixed chocolate and spoonfuls of sugar. Ezra didn't know Aria was that strict of a mother about Abby's eating. Now that thought about it, he didn't really know how Aria was as a mother. He was sure she made a terrific one though. The thought made him smile. "Ezra, it's not funny! Those food are toxic!"

"It's just this once," Ezra defended both himself and Abby. "Promise." Aria sighed, knowing that Ezra was just trying his best to bond with his daughter.

"Okay, thanks for watching her. You should probably get back to your class," Aria gestured at the classroom.

"Oh right," for a moment there, he had forgotten that he was teaching. "I better go, bye Abby." Ezra leaned down to kiss his daughter's forehead, a growing habit. The little girl waved goodbye and he watched the two most important people in his life right now walk out the building. Ezra slipped back in his classroom, finding a few students from the front row staring at him. He had a feeling that they saw Aria outside and recognized her, but decided to just ignore the stares and a hint of judgment in their eyes. Instead, he got back to his seat and gave them appointed looks to point out that they weren't reading as he had told them to do. It only took them a second to get the message and get back to their reading. Ezra relaxed in his seat. Thought so.

**Thank you for reading and reviewing! **

**Reply to SolitudeMyLove: Thank you so much, your review made my day! I absolutely love Troian and Patrick too! I wish Hardy would make another appearance on the show. And yes I celebrate Easter, thanks! **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, keep reviewing-they motivate me to write!**


	14. I Do

14. I Do

_Ezra slipped back in his classroom, finding a few students from the front row staring at him. He had a feeling that they saw Aria outside and recognized her, but decided to just ignore the stares and a hint of judgment in their eyes. Instead, he got back to his seat and gave them appointed looks to point out that they weren't reading as he had told them to do. It only took them a second to get the message and get back to their reading. Ezra relaxed in his seat. Thought so._

* * *

"Wait a minute, you left her with him?" Emily asked in disbelief. Aria had just finished telling her about Ezra taking care of Abby earlier that day. She had thought that it was extremely sweet, but apparently Emily didn't.

"I think you're forgetting that Ezra is Abby's _father_," Aria reminded her friend. Emily seemed to consider the fact in her head, as if she actually did forget about it. Aria understood why she was acting this way though. Unlike the other girls, she hadn't actually met let alone get to know Ezra after graduation. In her head, he was probably still her former high school teacher.

"Right, sorry," Emily furrowed her eyebrows. She had heard all the stories about Ezra from Aria and the other girls, but she never really _saw_ them as a couple much less as Abby's parents. It was just all in her head so far. It didn't seem _real_ to her.

"Anyways…" Hanna changed the subject, "you haven't exactly told us about your date." Today was the first time all four girls had met since the Friday night when Aria had her 'first date' with Ezra. Believe it or not, they were busy all weekend.

"It was perfect," Aria started telling the girls about Snookers and the band, and how they had danced to 'their' song. "It's been a while since I had that much fun. I guess I forgot how great a guy can really make you feel." The whole time, she had a goofy grin plastered on her face, and she knew that the girls had noticed but couldn't care less. She wouldn't be able to hide it even if she wanted to.

"I am officially jealous," Emily sighed.

"Oh come on, are you seriously telling me there's no hot chick in Danby?" Hanna asked after taking a bite of her chocolate covered strawberry. The fruit was what they were having for dinner. Lots of it. Being the athlete that Emily was, she had made the girls join her in a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables. She had came in the loft that day supporting an actual container full of strawberries. She claimed that she wouldn't be able to do it alone, so they all agreed and stuck to the tight diet. Hanna however, had somehow managed to sneak in a box of melted chocolate and kept it to herself.

"There might be this one girl but I haven't exactly gotten to know her yet," Emily for the second time spotted the chocolate smeared on Hanna's fruit and finally pried the box of chocolate from the blonde's hands.

"Hey, give it back!" Hanna protested but only held out her hand, too lazy to actually get up and reach Emily who was sitting on the carpet.

"I told you. If I see you breaking the diet again, I'll take the chocolate away! Besides, you're not a teenager anymore Han. You had a kid. It's easier to get fat, you know." With that, Hanna stopped pouting and dropped her previously stretched out arms.

"In that case, I'll stick with the fruit. In fact, keep the chocolate." Hanna popped a tiny strawberry in her mouth and handed Emily the lid. Aria and Spencer couldn't help but chuckle at their friends from where they sat on the carpet. Aria really was amazed at how Emily could encourage someone to just drop some bad habit and start getting healthy. She would make a great personal trainer one day. In the middle of the laughs, the doorbell rang. "I think that's Caleb. He said that if I'm still here after he closes up the store, he'll come over with Emma."

"I'll get it, I haven't seen that husband of yours in quite a while." Emily jumped to her feet and walked towards the door. She started yelling at the guy even with the door still closed. "Wanna bet how long your wife stays away from chocolate?" She swung the door open but was startled when she didn't find a longhaired man standing outside. The girls weren't exactly paying attention, so Hanna still thought that it was Caleb.

"If you actually take that offer, I swear we are not having sex tonight!" Hanna yelled at the door, which blocked both the stunned Emily and surprise visitor. As the case was more than once recently, said visitor was none other than Ezra. He just raised his eyebrows at the conversation he had walked into. Aria's friends could never stop taking him by surprise, especially with their words. Emily herself was as red as a tomato, being the shy person he remembered her as.

"Mr. Fitz," the woman greeted. Ezra was shocked to find himself not comfortable being called that by Aria's friend. Spencer always called him Ezra. She was already used to it since the few awkward minutes they used to share back in New York before he broke up with Aria. Hanna was well… Hanna. In the short night he had hung out with her last week on what was called 'girls' night', she had come up with nicknames from 'FitzMcGerald' that she admitted didn't make any sense but still used, to 'baby daddy'. Aria had made Hanna swore to never call Ezra by that latter name ever again right there and then, and as far as he knew she hadn't broken the promise.

He was already accustomed to the casual nicknames so being called 'Mr. Fitz' again like back when he was a teacher freaked him out a bit. As if it was a sudden flashback. A horrible one where he didn't have a daughter with Aria and was still not able to see her. He snapped out of it as quickly as he could though, having to be the one who talked since Emily hadn't said anything else. She just sort of moved out of the way and motioned for him to come in. Once inside, he spotted Hanna laying on the couch and Aria sitting on the carpet with Spencer. There was a shocking amount of strawberries in the middle of the carpet in some sort of container. He decided to ignore it and respond to Hanna's previous statement instead.

"I think I'm good, Hanna. You _are_ after all married." He chuckled, trying to crack a joke. The three familiar women smiled at his attempt while Emily still stood awkwardly in front of the now closed door.

"Not bad Fitz," Hanna commented on his joking response.

"Ezra, what are you doing here?" Aria asked in a friendly tone. She was curious but actually didn't mind his presence. To be honest, she actually liked him hanging out with the girls.

"We're supposed to go out for ice cream with Abby, remember? We kind of promised her last Friday before leaving for dinner," Ezra reminded her.

"Oh my God, did I not tell you?" Aria got up and walked over to him, her eyes now slightly wider in shock. She led him to the counter near the kitchen, leaving the girls to get a little privacy. "Ella is only free today this week so she took her today instead of on Thursday."

"Oh," Ezra looked disappointed. Aria's heart sank at the sight. She felt horrible for letting him down. She should've called or something. Or at least remembered that Ezra was supposed to take Abby to the ice cream place tonight. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

"You know, I think I vaguely remember you saying something about not crashing any more girls' night," Aria teased, in an attempt to cheer him up. He had in fact promised that last Friday on the way back from Snooker's.

"Oh, is that what this is?" Ezra was back to his charming self, gesturing at the women in the room. Emily was back sitting on the carpet with the other girls, silently munching on a strawberry. "_I_ remember something about girls' night being on Thursday."

"Fair enough," Aria was pleased that she was able to bring that playful twinkle in his eyes back. "You could stay if you want to, we've got more strawberries than four women could eat. Ever."

"Actually, I was thinking maybe _we_ could go out and get some ice cream." Ezra had come up with the idea in a sudden, a whim.

"Oh Ezra, I'd love to. But girls' night is mandatory and-" Hanna suddenly spoke up before Aria could finish her sentence and actually turn down Ezra's offer, not even masking the fact that she was listening to their conversation the whole time.

"Bring me a pint, won't you?" Hanna winked at Aria who swiveled around to face her.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Girls' night was sacred. She didn't want to ditch her friends, but couldn't imagine eating another bite of fruit again either.

"I wasn't here last week," Emily said while shrugging, pointing out that it was no big deal.

"And we're still mad about it," Spencer singsonged. She wasn't saying that Aria couldn't go, just that it wasn't entirely okay for Emily to have skipped for something like _work_. Emily just sighed at the comment while shooting Spencer a look, tired of apologizing that she had already did hundreds of times.

"Just go, okay? And do not buy Hanna a pint of ice cream!" Hanna rolled her eyes and grunted at Emily's comment, already tired of the diet.

"I guess we're good to go then," Aria faced Ezra once more, and grabbed her coat and purse before heading out with Ezra.

"Make yours non-fat too!" Emily yelled across the room, finishing her sentence just as the door closed.

* * *

"Do you mind walking?" Ezra asked as he let go of the apartment building's door after holding it open for Aria. The ice cream place was just a few blocks away and it was a fairly beautiful night. A walk sounded like a good idea to him.

"Sure," Aria agreed, and walked down the road beside him. The warmth of the night hugged her and she loosened her grip on the coat. She didn't know whether or not to grab Ezra's hand, so she put them in her pockets instead. She hadn't felt this jittery in a simple date-is this even a date?-,let alone a walk to the ice cream shop, in forever.

"So what was with all the strawberries?" Ezra finally asked. He was rather curious at the odd dinner and couldn't hide the fact any longer. He knew women liked to do all kinds of crazy goals to lose weight and try to 'eat healthy' and all, but what he saw in that loft wasn't just the typical women's diet.

"It's a sort of diet Emily somehow forced us into doing with her. Why we had to eat so many, I honestly don't know. She said something really complicated only an athlete would know when I asked. I mean really, I implied that I didn't understand and she actually said that I didn't because I wasn't an athlete."

"So I would understand, then?" Ezra joked. Aria raised her eyebrows and smirked, trying her best to hold back a laugh. "Don't tell me you're surprised, I know you were checking me out from that very first day in the elevator." Aria was no longer able to stifle her laugh and shook her head as she did so.

"Ezra, I would bet you anything that you never even stepped foot in a gym." Aria remembered how lazy he was about exercising. She's pretty sure that it was one of the things that hadn't changed in the past few years.

"And I would decline that offer for your own good."

"Also because you'll lose?" Aria smirked.

"That too," he finally confessed, and they both cracked up.

They arrived at the ice cream shop in a matter of minutes, greeted by a neon sign that read 'Sweet Heaven' and a jingle of bells as they pushed open the door. There were only about six tables in the shop as people usually take their ice creams to go, but tonight four of them were filled. Two with families, one with a couple, and one with three girls silently chatting and giggling every now and then. Ezra was at the forefront on their way to the counter and ordered a red velvet and chocolate chip for his two-scoop cone.

"Still rum raisin and blueberry?" Ezra asked Aria for her order.

"Do you remember everything?" She once again marveled at his perfect memory of the things she loved. Of her. Ezra motioned at the man behind the counter that it was her order, and paid for both desserts.

"Don't you?" Ezra said as he handed Aria her cone before heading off to the table by the front glass window, leaving a blushing Aria. She was quite stunned by Ezra's playful teasing reply, in a good way. One where she was left speechless with hot cheeks and a hammering in her chest. Ezra was already halfway towards the table so she quickly caught up with him, while trying her best to hide her flushing cheeks —unsuccessfully.

The white wooden chairs scraped against the also white wooden floors as they were slid backwards for the couple to sit. Ezra observed Aria as she looked out at the dark sky through the clear glass. He knew that she didn't know it, but she was truly gorgeous. Especially right now when every time she spot a star, her eyes would twinkle. It was only a minute before she averted her attention back to the gorgeous man before her, who already ate a quarter of his ice cream.

"I'm sorry about not telling you about Abby being with Ella," Aria apologized. She felt completely awful about the whole thing. "I totally blanked about tonight. I should've called or something-"

"Hey, it's okay," Ezra took hold of her left hand, partly to stop her babbling. "I don't mind, really." He gave her a reassuring smile, and she shyly returned it. They both fiddled with each other's fingers for a moment, all four eyes on the entangled hands. "Do they know?" Ezra finally mustered up enough courage to ask the question he had been dreading to know the answer to. "Ella and Byron I mean. Do they know about my being Abby's father?" Aria could tell that Ezra was undeniably terrified. She would be too, if she were him.

"Yeah, they know." Aria said nonchalantly and didn't bother to elaborate, teasing him.

"And?" Aria waited a beat before answering, knowing that the silence was eating at him.

"At first they were shocked and pretty confused. Then after a very long silence, well they got kind of… outraged." She could still remember every detail from that day, the day she told them. The silence after her revelation was deafening. She really preferred yelling instead so that it would all be out in the open. She got her wish, though. They got mad and loud pretty quickly. Aria could feel Ezra's hand stiffen in her own, but she lightly stroked it as she continued. "But it was only for a while, and then they came around. It was actually somewhat curious how well they took it."

"That's…well, not what I expected."

"You're telling me." Aria thought all hell would break loose, but it didn't. "But then again, it was me who told them. Their daughter. Maybe they would react differently to you." Aria really was being cruel, but she couldn't help it. She knew how petrified Ezra was of her parents–a lot. The unnerving expression was back on his face, and Aria finally gave up and broke into giggles.

"That's barbaric, what you did there." Aria was still laughing, unable to stop. "It's not funny, both Ella and Byron are scary!"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't let the opportunity to scare you with my parents just slip away." Aria said between much needed breaths. Ezra feigned annoyance and tried to pull his hand away, but Aria tugged it back just in time. "Oh come on, you know they love you."

"I _am_ lovable, aren't I?" Ezra said cockily.

"I take it back!" Aria said before biting into the top of her cone.

"So are they still at your old house?" Ezra's ice cream was finished, and like Aria, he was now left with his cone.

"Actually, they're not together anymore. Ella lives with her boyfriend at the old house and Byron's engaged." Aria could see that Ezra felt bad for her, but she quickly spoke up before he could say anything. "It's okay though, they're happy now. Everything turned out great."

"What about Mike?"

"Mike got a scholarship to UCLA," Aria brightened up as she talked about him.

"Really?" Ezra asked unconvinced, which caused Aria to raise her eyebrows at him. "I mean, he's smart. But I didn't peg him for a scholarship kid especially to UCLA."

"I know, Ella and I thought he faked the letter when we got it. But it's true, we called to make sure. Three times," she chuckled. Their conversation was interrupted by Aria's cell phone, a text.

'_Abby's back. Ella dropped her off tonight instead of tomorrow morning. Something about work. Abby's asleep.'_ It was Spencer.

"Is everything okay?" Ezra asked, worried that something was wrong.

"Abby's back, but Ella's supposed to drop her off at the loft tomorrow morning but something came up. She's asleep now, though. Abby I mean, not Ella." Aria texted Spencer back a simple '_Okay_' and slipped her phone back into her purse.

"Come on, let's go back and see her."

They were both done with their ice creams, and unused tissues laid on the table. Ezra stood up and led the way out, holding out his hand as soon as they reached outside. Aria took it, glad that he had offered this time. For some reason, it felt like a big deal to her. She didn't know why though. It's not like she hadn't held hands with guys before. In fact, she had lots of times. But none of them made her feel the way she did now. Like she had butterflies in her stomach. The drum in her chest was back too, which really wasn't helping. They walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the night. Enjoying each other's company.

"I do," Aria was first to talk since they left for her apartment.

"What?" Ezra heard her loud and clear, it was after all silent with only two or three cars passing by, but didn't know what in the world she was talking about.

"Back at the counter at the shop, I said 'Do you remember everything?' and you said 'Don't you?'" Ezra knew instantly what she was talking about. "I remember. Everything. I never forgot." Aria kept looking down at their hands, not exactly brave enough to face him. Some people might not notice, but she was what you would call shy. At least she was when it came to people whose opinions matter to her. Ezra however, couldn't tear his eyes away from the woman's smiling face. Her smile was distant, as if recalling the good old days. "Not for three whole years. Has it really been that long?" She sighed, and finally looked up at Ezra's blue eyes.

"It felt like an eternity. But also like we were having breakfast in New York just last week." Ezra couldn't believe how much time had passed. How much he had wasted. If he hadn't been so stubborn and just pick up the phone. Who knew how things would be between them now. Maybe Aria wouldn't have this wall around her. He knew she was starting to let him in, but he couldn't help but think 'what if'.

"I know the feeling." Aria lightly chuckled. She needed him to know that the whole time they lost touch, she didn't just get over him after ten reruns of 'The Notebook' and three times reading 'The Great Gatsby'—which she both did. She never really got over him at all. Buy the look they shared now, it was pretty clear he knows and it was definitely a relief. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Ezra. The rest quarter a block was filled with a silence that hugged the two comfortably, as they walk hand in hand.

**Finals are over! I still have school, but I ditch most of the time so I have all the time in the world to write. Because of that, I will post weekly!**

**Reply to Kate: Thank you so much! You have no idea how much that means to me.**

**To FishsticksAndCustard: I've given Spoby some thought, and decided to explain what happened. I actually love them on the show!**

**As always, thanks for reading/favorites/follows/reveiws! Please keep reviewing. I accept critiques, suggestions, etc. Love you all xxx**

**p.s. I'm so excited that finals are over! Does it show? :p**


	15. Wandering Minds

15. Wandering Minds

_She never really got over him at all. But by the look they shared now, it was pretty clear he knows and it was definitely a relief. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Ezra. The rest quarter a block was filled with a silence that hugged the two comfortably, as they walk hand in hand._

* * *

Dolls. What was so fascinating about the small plastic human figurines? Ezra never really got it. He didn't even know what he was picking out that afternoon at the mall. There were about a hundred different kinds, but they all looked the same to him. At last he bought one, a blonde in a pair of jeans and pink shirt that an employee of the store suggested. He didn't understand why it was so expensive either. Didn't matter though, cause it was worth seeing the smile on Abby's face when he gave it to her. She was now already playing with it along with her other dolls—that once again looked just the same to him—and the dollhouse.

"Here you go," Aria set down a cup of coffee on the table in front of him, still hot and steaming. It was black, just how Spencer and Aria liked it, but not what Ezra was used to. He took a sip and cringed at how strong it was, putting it back down to cool off. "Sorry, it's kind of strong. Do you want sugar or something?" Ezra just shook his head, actually glad that he got a strong cup of coffee. He hadn't slept much last night, half the time planning his next lesson and the rest thinking about his little date with Aria to the ice cream shop. It wasn't much, but it was without a doubt special to him. He had seen Abby afterwards, getting a glance of her sleeping on the queen sized bed in her room. "Did you just get out of school?" Ezra was still in his usual shirt and vest combo and supporting a messenger bag.

"Yeah, I was planning to go here all along and it just seemed like a waste of time to go all the way to my apartment just to change." He had gone straight to the mall to get Abby her doll, and then here to the loft. The little girl who was practically bouncing off the walls ever since she knew that Ezra was coming over had greeted him. And now here he is, sitting on the couch with Aria. "What, you don't like this look?" He teased, looking down at himself.

"I think we both know that I like this look," Aria joked about how they had started their relationship as student and teacher all those years ago. Ezra turned crimson at the joke, though he couldn't help but let out a hearty chortle at how bold she was to reference their former unfortunate position. "Too soon to joke about that?" Aria winced.

"Hell, it's been four years. We should get over it right?" Now it was Aria's turn to laugh, not completely comfortable with making the fact a laughingstock either, but didn't mind. Just as they were getting comfortable on the couch, there was a loud thud coming from Spencer's room. Aria jumped up from where she was seated at the couch and ran into the bedroom.

Spencer was on the ground; piles of clothes and what Aria guessed were shoes covered the woman. Aria was concerned, but had to admit that the sight made her want to break into giggles. Besides, Spencer wasn't hurt or anything, just covered by various fabrics and boxes.

"Help?" she squeaked, before lightly giggling herself. "Don't laugh!"

"_You're_ laughing!" Aria said as she offered her friend a hand to help her up. Once Spencer was on her feet, they both grabbed the clothes and boxes that still laid on the floor, and moved them onto the bed. "What the hell were you doing?"

"I was just getting dressed for my date with Hardy tonight, and I was reaching for my shoes when everything fell." Spencer ended her explanation in a sigh, and flopped onto the bed on her back. "Hey, who's outside? I heard a guy's voice."

"It's Ezra, he came to see Abby and got her a doll. You should've seen her reaction Spence, it was priceless." Aria beamed as she remembered the expression on her daughter's face. "She's already playing with it now with the dollhouse."

"So you're here talking with me, and Ezra's just out there alone?" Aria only realized this when Spencer pointed it out. She only meant to check on Spencer, not _leave_ Ezra.

"Shit." She rushed back out to get back to Ezra, only to find him sitting on the floor with Abby, next to the dollhouse. Abby was showing him parts of the house, and Ezra nodded every time she pointed at something. Aria stood in the doorway of Spencer's bedroom, leaning on it for a while. She observed the father and daughter, thinking a few 'what if's that she knew she would regret later. Her mind wondered about how things would be if three years ago, she had actually found out that Ezra was in California. Would she have actually had the guts to fly out there and confront him? To tell him? And if she did, how would things be then? Would they get back together and raise Abby? Would they have gotten married once Abby was born? Marriage. There's a thought. Believe it or not, Aria hadn't thought of marriage that much. She had other things on her mind—Abby for one.

"Hey, was that Spencer?" Ezra said as soon as he got up leaving Abby with her toys and approached Aria, shaking her out of her thoughts.

"Um," It took her a moment to get back to reality, the one where she and Ezra were still trying to work things out. "Yeah, she just dropped some things."

"You okay?" Ezra noticed that her mind was elsewhere, and the minute she took to completely get out of her trance.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Aria led Ezra back to the couch, and sipped her coffee to stall. She was already regretting thinking about 'what if's. "So, there's something I wanted to talk to you about." Aria said once Ezra was also back in his seat. "I've been thinking about taking Abby to school."

"Preschool?" Ezra asked and Aria nodded in confirmation. "Sounds great, Rosewood Elementary has that right?" He thought that the idea was perfect, seeing how Abby was now of age to attend preschool. The way he saw it, the sooner the better. He was just about to ask Aria about her plans for Abby's education, but now he doesn't have to anymore. "You wanna check it out say tomorrow?"

"Together?" Aria sounded skeptical as she raised her eyebrows. Ezra crinkled his forehead in confusion as soon as the doubtful statement was said, and she regretted opening her mouth in the first place. "I mean," she didn't really know how to describe what she meant, and ended her sentence lamely, "well, what I meant."

"Yeah, I want to see where my daughter's going to preschool. And I'm pretty sure it's a great place there so if we like it we can just apply directly." Aria was a bit taken aback. It looked like Ezra had it all figured out, while Aria was still working things out as they go. Ezra actually had put some thought into this. He wanted the best for Abby, and he wanted to give it to her on a silver platter.

"Um, okay. I have a savings for her school and all-"

"I can handle that." Ezra had noticed that Aria didn't exactly have a source of income right now. She was a college student with a three year old on her hands. He wouldn't have the time to work either if he was in her position.

"Ezra, no."

"Yes. I'm her father remember? We're not talking about who's paying for dinner here."

"Exactly, we're not! This is a big deal." From Aria's point of view, paying for Abby's school was her responsibility.

"Okay, then what do you say I contribute to the savings? I take it you save a certain amount every month?" Ezra suggested, hoping that Aria would agree. Ezra thought of them as a team. Parents. Equals. Maybe even a couple. And in the future a legitimate one. But that was a thought for later.

"Fine," Aria gave up in a sigh. She grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, then wrote down the account's details and amount of money to save each month. "Here, every month. And don't you dare save more than I do."

"Yes ma'am." Ezra glimpsed at the paper before slipping it into his wallet.

"And don't ever call me ma'am again."

"Got it," Ezra chuckled. "So can we go see the school tomorrow?"

"Sure, 3:30 at Rosewood Elementary?" Ezra nodded in response. Just then Spencer walked out into the living room in a dark blue halter dress. Ezra could see that she didn't have any make up on and her hair was a bit messy having nothing done to it besides the natural air dry. Nonetheless, she looked gorgeous. He honestly thought that the woman didn't need any make up but he knew better than to say that.

"Hey Spencer, you look great." Ezra greeted her for the first time since he step foot in her loft that day. She just smiled, appreciating the compliment. "So why are you so dressed up?"

"I have a date with Hardy tonight," Spencer said before hijacking Aria's cup of coffee and draining it in a gulp. It was pretty obvious that she was nervous, and using coffee to calm down. Theoretically, it wasn't supposed to help. But Ezra knew well enough that Spencer drank caffeine like water. So really, who knows.

"Aren't you guys going at eight? It's barely sunset."

"Oh, Spencer always gets ready extra early. Besides, there are still a bunch of things to do like make-up and hair, I mean she hasn't even decided the accessories yet and-" Aria was starting a ramble and Ezra cut her mid-sentence before he could get a headache. She already lost him at hair.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You need to get a lot of things ready." Ezra didn't understand why women couldn't just throw on a dress, apply a coat of lipstick and grab a purse fifteen minutes before a date. At least that's what he usually does. Of course in his case it's not a dress. Also minus the lipstick and purse.

"I'm gonna go help Spencer, you'll be okay with Abby right?" Aria asked as she got up.

"Yeah, we're just going to play some more. Aren't we Abs?" Ezra said as he sat down on the floor next to the girl. The two started to position dolls inside the house and laugh every time one fell. Aria laughed from where she stood and had looked back at them, not believing how things had turned out. Who knew that Ezra would be back in her life, much less in Abby's. She wished she could take a picture of this and show it to her past self from three years ago who was so worried about the future. But there was nothing she could do now, so she left to help Spencer instead.

* * *

"Okay, you guys ready?" Aria was standing with her back against Spencer's bedroom's door, talking to both Abby and Ezra who were on the couch. It had been two and a half hours of getting ready, and Aria couldn't wait to 'present' the woman. Abby was always so excited when someone got all dressed up, so now she was feeling giddy. "I give you, Ms. Spencer Hastings!" Aria swung open both double doors and Spencer slowly twirled out so that her dress slightly whirled around. Abby clapped enthusiastically, and Ezra whistled. Spencer's hair now had small loose curls at the ends and her eyes were intensified. The look was fresh with perfect nude lips, and the color of her dress brought out her eyes. She looked absolutely stunning.

"Hey, isn't that the Louboutins I wore to _my_ date?" Aria asked as soon as she spotted the pair of heels on her friend. They were indeed the exact same shoes, and Ezra recognized them because he remembered thinking that it looked great on Aria.

"I'm borrowing?" Aria gave her a look that said that it wasn't even hers, but Spencer didn't back down. "You're giving it back to Emily tomorrow anyways, right? I'll even give it back myself." Aria mumbled a 'fine' and sat on the couch next to Abby. Just when Spencer was about to sit too, the doorbell rang.

"Can you get that? I'm gonna go get my purse." Spencer asked Aria, and then disappeared back into her room as the guest could only have been Hardy.

"It's okay, let me get it." Ezra stood up and looked through the peephole, which showed a man holding a bouquet. Ezra opened the door, surprising his best friend with his presence.

"My lady," Hardy joked and offered him the flowers. Ezra lightly swatted them away and rolled his eyes as he motioned for Hardy to come in. Spencer was now already back in the living room, purse in hand. "Hi, you look great."

"Thanks," a brush crept through Spencer's neck and cheeks. Hardy handed her the flowers and she passed it on to Aria who was always the one to arrange plant decorations. Hardy nodded in her direction as a greeting, and she did the same.

"Ready to go?" Hardy gestured at the door and Spencer led the way out. Ezra opened and closed the door, like an obedient doorman. He then turned back to Aria once the loft was left to the two of them and Abby.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?" Aria sighed, and they both cracked up partly at the joke and another at the fact that Spencer and Hardy were actually going out on a date. The situation was weird to both of them, to say the least.

**Updated, as promised! This chapter is pretty much just an introduction to the next one where something actually happens. And also, it kind of shows Ezra and Aria's development with the whole parenting together since Aria's so used to being a single parent and Ezra wants to be involved so much.**

**Anyways, hope you guys like it! Thanks for everything and please review, they're motivation!**


	16. Oh, Boy

16. Oh, Boy.

"_Ready to go?" Hardy gestured at the door and Spencer led the way out. Ezra opened and closed the door, like an obedient doorman. He then turned back to Aria once the loft was left to the two of them and Abby._

"_They grow up so fast, don't they?" Aria sighed, and they both cracked up partly at the joke and another at the fact that Spencer and Hardy were actually going out on a date. The situation was weird to both of them, to say the least._

* * *

The sight ahead of them was pitch black, except for the road that was dimly lit by the car's headlights. Spencer wasn't afraid of the dark, but the fact that she had no idea where she was and that it looked like they were in the middle of nowhere crept her out. Enough to make the hair on her arm stand.

"Where are we?" Spencer asked, her voice showing a hint of worry. She looked out the window and almost pressed her face onto it but knew better than to do so. Still, with squinted eyes and a furrowed forehead, all she could see was more darkness.

"Almost there," Hardy said as he switched gears. Noticing something off in her voice, he looked over at her and saw that the woman was looking out the side window and trying to locate something—anything—every five seconds. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just… I don't know, roads like this give me the chills." Spencer rubbed her sides, and smiled shyly. She wasn't used to telling people her fears. Weaknesses. She was always told that if people could see what she was afraid of, her soft spots, that she would be weak and defeated. Maybe she still thought that until now, she wasn't sure herself. "Where are we going again?"

"The bar," Hardy said shortly.

"Right. The bar," Spencer repeated. This was the fifth time she asked the question, and it was the fifth time Hardy answered with those exact two words. "And this bar is where? Europe?" She retorted.

"Patience." By now he knew that Spencer was not one to be kept waiting. "Radio?" Hardy asked as he rested a finger on the 'On' button.

"Sure. Here let me," Spencer surfed the radio and finally settled on a song by The Beatles. Hardy started tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, and as soon as the song hit the chorus, he sang along. His voice was surprisingly good, and Spencer couldn't help but stare. Somehow, him singing was more charming than annoying. He always had that kind of effect on people. They couldn't help but fall for his witty remarks and good looks. Especially the ladies. It wasn't a surprise though with his perfect blue eyes. Spencer started laughing when Hardy hit a high note, one he could evidently not reach.

"Like you can sing any better," Hardy said and soon as he did, it was the chorus again and Spencer sang along with him. She too, was actually good. Even better than he was when they reached the same high note. "I stand corrected."

With the radio on and both passengers having fun singing along, the rest of the ride flew by. Before any of them knew it, there were lights in the distance. Lots of them. Spencer sat up straight and once again squinted her eyes to get a better view. Of course just like before, it didn't do her any good. "We're here." Hardy said, even though there was still quite a distance to travel to get to where the lights seemed to be coming from. It took them no more than a couple of minutes to get there, where Hardy parked under a tree that hung tiny light bulbs. He turned off the radio and unbuckled his seatbelt before walking around the car to open Spencer's door. She stepped out and balanced herself in her heels as soon as they hit the gravel underneath. She could instantly feel the wind ice cold against her bare skin and shivered.

"A bar, huh?" Spencer chuckled as she looked around to observe her surroundings. There were wooden tables full of people outside enjoying drinks, countless miniscule light bulbs hung on trees and covered the building to illuminate the dark night. Spencer could imagine the view from above, a bright shining spot in the middle of nowhere. She could hear loud music from speakers placed inside and outside the building. From what she could see through some of the windows, there were pool tables and a bar inside. The place looked quite spectacular, yet somehow cozy. And finally, in huge block letters, the sign on the building said 'THE BAR'.

"Didn't I tell you?" Hardy smirked, and locked the car before leading her inside.

* * *

Aria turned down the volume of the Television and clicked the off button before turning off the DVD. She then looked back at Ezra and Abby, who had fallen asleep while watching Rugrats. Ezra's arm was draped protectively around the little girl, and she was snuggling against him. The two looked so at peace in each other's embrace, like everything was right in the world. Aria took her time looking at them for a while before waking Ezra up so that they can let Abby sleep in her bed.

"Ezra, wake up." Aria whispered as she stroke his arm. "Ezra, you fell asleep." His eyelids flickered and he was startled when he saw Aria's face so close to his own when he opened his eyes. Aria put a finger on her lips signaling for him to be quiet, motioning to a sleeping Abby. "We better put her in her room." Ezra just nodded, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He then slowly picked Abby up and walked into her room. Abby's room was smaller than Aria's and Spencer's but relatively big. The walls were white and the curtain a floral pattern, closed for the night. Ezra cautiously put the girl down onto the bed, careful not to wake her with any sudden movements. Aria then tucked her daughter in under the pink bedcover and kissed her on the cheek before bidding goodnight. Ezra himself kissed Abby on the forehead and then left the room with her mother, leaving the lights off and door only slightly ajar.

"What time is it?" Ezra asked dazed, still recovering from his sleep.

"It's 10:12," Aria said after glancing at the clock. "I'm making some coffee. I have a research paper to do and was thinking of pulling an all-nighter. Or at least trying. You want some?" She walked over to the kitchen and started on her beverage. Ezra looked back at Aria's empty mug on the table by the sofa. While Ezra had only one cup earlier that afternoon, Aria had a couple. Ezra grabbed the dirty cup and handed it over, wondering how much coffee the woman could really drink. But then he thought screw it, he might as well accompany her through the night. He knew the kind of dates Hardy has, so Spencer might be out all night and Ezra would love keeping Aria company.

"Sure," Ezra settled on a stool and rested his arms on the cold granite of the kitchen island, watching Aria pull out a clean mug for Ezra. "So how long was I asleep?" The last thing he remembered was Abby snuggling against his side.

"About an hour, not long after Abby slept too. I ended up watching the rest of the episode. Spend enough time watching kids shows and you'll actually find them interesting." Aria said a matter-of-factly, handing Ezra his mug. "Come on, the sofa's better." They both got comfortable back on the couch.

"Do you do this often? Stay up to finish work I mean." Ezra was curious about Aria's daily routine. Frankly a little concerned. From what he gathered, she was quite a bit overworked with taking care of Abby and going to Hollis.

"Only sometimes. Abby usually goes to bed around eight so I'm free after," Aria could see the worry in his eyes. She found it sweet and comforting, but she also wanted him to know that everything was fine. "It's fine Ezra, really." He just nodded before taking a sip of his drink.

"I'm just worried, that's all."

"I know," Aria smiled looking up at him. "It's sweet." She went in for a soft peck but before she could pull back, Ezra kissed her back but for just a moment. But in that short time, his lips seemed to match hers perfectly. Like it was meant to be. They both looked at each other for a while, only inches apart. Ezra brushed away a lock of hair a put it behind her ear, then let his fingers graze her cheek.

"You're extraordinary, you know that?" His words made her cheeks and neck flush more than they already were. She leaned in and their lips met in a kiss, this time more passionate than the last. Ezra put down his mug next to Aria's on the table, his mouth still pressed against hers. There was warmth spreading through them both, one they couldn't really describe. It was a feeling, a rush. She rested her arms around his neck, her fingers fiddling with the ends of his hair. She could feel his arms on her waist, pulling, closing the gap between them. Ezra once again tasted cherry, just like he always did every time they kissed. His tongue traced her bottom lip, asking for entrance that she gladly granted. Their tongues fought for dominance, bodies melting into each other. Things were starting to get heated, and Aria laid them both down on the couch. With labored breaths and thumping chests, their steaming coffees were long forgotten.

* * *

"Do you play?" Hardy motioned at an empty pool table. Spencer just shrugged, sipping her beer. "Come on, I'll teach you." He held out a hand to help her off the stool, and she took it. They got to the pool table and Hardy handed her a stick.

"Do _you_ play?"

"I _majored_ pool at college," Hardy said cockily.

"Oh, really?" Spencer raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"Yes, really. Now hold it like this," Hardy put his arms around Spencer, his hand on hers around the wooden stick.

"I bet that's what you say to all the girls," Spencer said teasingly. Hardy just chuckled. He loved how Spencer always had a quick remark.

"Maybe," Hardy said softly but loud enough that Spencer could hear since his mouth was just by her ear, causing her to laugh lightly. He guided her to break and billiard balls scattered on the table, however not one fell into a pocket. "It's a good try." He let go of Spencer and grabbed his own stick.

"Now your turn, right?" Hardy nodded and managed to put two balls into a corner pocket. He went for another ball but missed.

"You try on your own," He nodded in Spencer's direction to say that it was her turn. She took her position and fiddled with the stick for a moment, looking uncertain as she bit her lip. "It's okay if you don't hit anything, don't worry about it." Spencer kept her eyes focused on the ball, and finally bent down to hit it. Without another blink whatsoever, she ended up with five balls in the pocket.

"What's that again about majoring in pool?" She playfully mocked the man standing agape in front of her, smirking.

"You _do_ play pool," Hardy concluded, not knowing what else to say.

"I had a table in my parents' place. Used to play with my dad," Spencer shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"You still play at their place often?" She looked away at the balls on the table as soon as the question was our there.

"Um, no." She wasn't exactly close with her parents anymore. After she graduated university, her mom had wanted Spencer to join her law firm. Spencer however wanted to be on her own. She had been under her parents' thumb for too long. Both Veronica and Peter Hastings refuse to accept her decision and turned their backs on her. It was typical for them. Once they didn't get what they wanted from someone, they would freeze him or her out. Now they only talked on Christmas, her birthday, or Thanksgiving. Melissa, her sister, now lived in Philadelphia with her husband. The two Hastings sisters were actually close, now more than ever. "Not really."

Hardy sensed the cloud over her when the subject of her parents came up, and regretted asking about it in the first place. He decided to do what he does best, lightening up the mood. "Well you're a little rusty then," Hardy said with a mischievous smile. "What do you say, the winner gets to choose the next song on the jukebox?" There was a huge one on the side of the room, where people chose the song everyone listened to.

"You got it," Spencer stepped up to the challenge, all traces of gloom gone. "But I must warn you, I don't get rusty."

"Bring it on."

* * *

Aria was now on her back, Ezra on top. His lips were attached to her neck, surely creating a hickey. He knew how much she loved it—he could hear the soft moans escaping her lips. He still remembered everything about her, what she liked and what she didn't. But the woman he had in his arms right now, was better than the one in his memory for the past years. He had forgotten how soft her skin was, how good she could make him feel. He was pretty sure that even now the hickey was already showing, so he went back to her lips. Aria took him by surprise and flipped them over, her hair now spilling around them. They had been in a heated make out session for a while now, but none seemed to grow tired of it. Three years was quite some time to be apart. Just then, the doorbell rang. Aria grunted in frustration, and Ezra couldn't help but laugh at her. They both sat up and glanced at the clock. 11:02. Who could be visiting at this time of night?

"Maybe it's Spencer," Ezra suggested.

"No, she has a key." Aria sighed as she got up and raked her fingers through her hair to make it look a bit presentable. Ezra noticed what she was doing and did the same himself, then straightened his shirt. Aria walked towards the door, praying that it wasn't Emily or Hanna cause she would kill them to have interrupted her and Ezra… having time alone. Without looking through the peephole, she swung the door open.

"Surprise!" The person behind the door said with a grin, satisfied by Aria's jaw-dropping reaction. "Well, aren't you going to let me in?" The unexpected visitor walked past her and stopped as soon as Ezra was in sight.

Ezra himself went pale at who had come in. He could only utter one single word. "Mike."

**Tell me what you guys think about Spencer and Hardy, and the surprise guest! I think it's pretty awkward that he came when they were fooling around. Anyways, thanks for reviews and favorites/follows. Keep reviewing! They're motivation and I accept everything from critiques to suggestions. Love you all xoxo**


	17. Beware: Unexpected Guests

17. Beware: Unexpected Guests

"_Surprise!" The person behind the door said with a grin, satisfied by Aria's jaw-dropping reaction. "Well, aren't you going to let me in?" The unexpected visitor walked past her and stopped as soon as Ezra was in sight._

_Ezra himself went pale at who had come in. He could only utter one single word. "Mike."_

* * *

"Mr. Fitz," the younger man greeted coldly, his right fist tightened around a strap of the bag he was carrying—the only strap that hung on his shoulder. His left hand dragged a luggage, a huge one that reached his waist. Mike had grown taller since Ezra last saw him, now almost his former teacher's height. Ezra fidgeted under his stern gaze. He never thought that someone who he used to teach could make him so nervous as if _he_ was the student.

"You can call me Ezra," It was all that he could say. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth again, he would actually blurt out 'I was just making out with your sister, please have a seat.' He tried his best to force a smile but he knew that he must've looked so stupid with a bizarre grin on his face. He hadn't actually had a chance to bond with his girlfriend's brother when they still dated before Abby happened. Mike looked at his sister who still stood against the door, and then back at the man that he knew as the guy who left her high and dry.

"I think I'll just get washed up and crash, it was a long flight." Mike decided to rest and maybe clear his head before doing something stupid like beat the hell out of Ezra. He left his bag and suitcase by the couch and started for the bathroom, leaving what he guessed was now once again a couple, alone.

"I think I better head home, I have school tomorrow." Ezra walked across the room towards Aria at the door. She hadn't said a word since her brother showed up, which didn't help with the fact that Ezra was freaking out. "See you at Rosewood Elementary tomorrow?"

"3:30 sharp," Aria said shortly before Ezra walked out. But as soon as the door shut and they were outside, she pulled him by his arm. "Sorry about Mike, I didn't know he was coming."

"Don't worry about it, go catch up with your brother." He then seemed to be contemplating something on his mind, and then decided to just blurt it out. "He knows about me being Abby's dad, right?" The question had been nagging at him ever since he saw the guy. He couldn't remember whether or not Aria had told him that Mike knew.

"Yeah, he knows. But I haven't exactly told him that you've been back. Things have been a bit busy I guess," The last time she spoke with Mike was two weeks ago, and he had said that he wouldn't be able to visit her until the next month. Obviously, he must have worked something out. She loved her brother, she really did, but a little heads up would've been nice. There have been too many surprises lately.

"And your parents? Have you told them that I'm in the picture now?" Ezra was bound to run into one of them soon, and he would like to know what he could and couldn't bring up. Aria bit her bottom lip and looked down at the doormat, brown and clean thanks to her roommate who always kept it spotless despite the fact that it was a _doormat_.

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?" Ezra had a feeling the '-t exactly' wasn't really necessary. And he was right.

"No." Aria dared herself to take her eyes off the ground and looked at Ezra. "Don't worry about it, it's not like they don't know about you being Abby's dad. It's no big deal."

Ezra sighed. "I'm just worried that I'll meet either Ella or Byron and bring up the fact that we're back together, when they actually don't even know that I've been around."

"So you meet my parents, and the first thing that you want to say is how you've been fooling around with their daughter?" Aria asked, teasing him. Aria knew how much he was afraid of her parents, and she took every chance there was to torture him with the fact.

"You know that's not what I mean," Ezra finally said. "But I do want them to know that we're a couple now." The last thing Ezra wanted was to hide anything from anyone. Although he had a feeling that Aria wasn't exactly keen on announcing their 'status' as a new couple with a three-year old daughter to the whole world—or Rosewood for that matter.

"So we're officially a couple now?" Aria beamed as she said the word. _Couple_. So simple. Even though their situation is nothing but ordinary, it's still a million times better than all the labels they could've been called before. When Ezra was still her teacher; when they were still a secret. Ezra took a step closer and enveloped her in his arms, resting them on her waist.

"You, Aria Montgomery, are _officially _my girlfriend," Ezra repeated the word 'officially' from Aria's own sentence, wanting her to know that they were a definite couple. He knew what she must have been feeling. He knew because he felt it too. The fear of the unknown. The fear of losing the other if one was out of sight for just a second. The everlasting nagging doubt. Ezra gave her a soft lingering peck on the forehead. Aria smiled with closed eyes at how the simple act was making her feel, a warmth from her insides that slowly spread through her whole body and could send soft tingles up her spine. It made her feel like not a single thing was wrong in the whole universe. Not as long as they keep standing there, holding onto each other. But seconds passed and Ezra's lips left her skin. Aria took a deep breath before slowly opening her eyes just to be greeted by the familiar blue eyes of the man she had always loved. _Loved_. There's a word she hadn't used in while. Not for anyone other than Abby, anyway. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Ezra's voice shook her out of her thoughts; his hand caressed the side of her face in one gentle stroke.

"Okay," Aria didn't want Ezra to leave. She wished he could stay the night, just to wrap his arms around her. If only they could just cuddle on her couch, talking until the sun comes up. But Mike was sleeping on the couch tonight, and she really missed him too. So Aria gave Ezra one last lingering kiss and reluctantly pulled away. "Good night, Ezra." As soon as Ezra was down the hallway and out of sight, she headed back to the kitchen and made Mike his favorite hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows. It had started pouring outside, and the sound of rain against the window blended with the rushing of water from the bathroom where Mike was showering. Aria set down the mug on the table by the couch and took two pillows and a blanket from her room, and placed them neatly on the end of the couch. She was just about to wrap the blanket around herself and get comfortable, when Mike walked out of the shower in a pair of worn out blue Wonder Woman pajama pants that he had had since high school. Aria had gotten it for him as a joke and Mike had refused to wear it at first but the soft fabric was irresistible. He paired it with a simple white t-shirt that clung to his body, yet not too tightly.

"I made you hot chocolate," Aria gestured at the beverage placed between them with Mike now sitting on the single couch. He took a sip and then held the mug with both hands as he looked at the older woman. A part of him wanted to scold her for getting involved with Ezra again, knowing full well that it would only lead to more trouble. The way he saw it, the so called 'relationship' between Aria and her former teacher could end in nothing but his sister getting hurt. She didn't blame him though. He never really got to find out how they were as a couple. He didn't know how much Ezra really cared for her. He had only known the guy as the jerk who fell off of the face of the earth when Aria needed him the most. Mike wanted to pick her up and took her as far away as they could get from Ezra. He wanted to grip both Aria's shoulders and shook them, telling her to run like hell. To wherever but Ezra's arms. The other part of him wanted to have a rational conversation and actually find out what had happened since the last time he visited, because if he remembered correctly there wasn't a man in Aria's life-at least not anyone she was serious about-let alone Ezra. "What?" Aria asked after Mike kept his gaze at her without saying a word. She knew that it must have something to do with Ezra, but she decided to act oblivious and as if it was just some other time he visited from California. As much as he missed his parents, Mike always stayed with Aria and Spencer every time he was not in California or somewhere else with his friends. His excuse was always that he wanted to spend time with Abby, but he just didn't feel like staying with Ella or Byron. He knew he wouldn't be as comfortable as he was here, where he could do as he wished and even spend some time with Aria's friends. He had gotten close with the girls and Caleb the past year when he wasn't 'too young' to hang out with them anymore.

"You know 'what'," Mike said calmly. His curiosity of how Ezra had turned up took over, deciding to have the rational conversation instead. Aria kept acting oblivious to the elephant in the room—a huge one with a sign that read 'notice me'. "Aria…" Aria sighed in defeat. She really couldn't keep anything from her brother. They'd been especially close ever since she went off to New York, and had told each other everything. When she broke up with Ezra before finding out that she was pregnant, she had confided in him. She hadn't exactly said that the guy was Ezra, but she told him that their relationship was pretty serious. When she found out that she was carrying Abby, he was the first she told after the girls. She didn't know why she hadn't told him about Ezra turning up. Maybe because she knew that Mike would most likely hop on the first flight to Rosewood and find Ezra just to tell him off or worse, leave some bruises and maybe a few cracked ribs on the guy.

"Look, apparently he's back working in Rosewood High now. And yes, I've told him about Abby and he took the news very well. They've actually gotten pretty close," Aria blabbed quickly. "Do you remember that dollhouse I've always wanted?" Aria's eyes were gleaming with excitement, and she didn't bother to wait for Mike's answer. "He got it for Abby! You have to see it," she had a full grin plastered on her face now, and Mike could see how happy she was.

"Aria, slow down." Mike said slowly, putting the mug on the table. "It's great that Abby knows her dad now, that she has a father figure to look up to." Aria was relieved that he felt that way, because what he thought really mattered to her. But the feeling didn't last long because she sensed a 'but' just around the corner. And Mike proved her right. "But don't you think you're rushing into things, getting back with him? And all he's going to do is hurt you. Besides, what would happen when things don't work out? What does that mean for Abby-"

"Okay Mike, now _you_ slow down." What he said hit her in all the right spots. Those things were exactly what she was worried about. They were why she was hesitant to start anything again with Ezra in the first place. She wasn't sure if she should tell Mike everything about what has been going on. Not after what he said. "We're just patching things up, no one said anything about 'rushing things' let alone being an 'official couple'," Aria used her own words, them being the only ones coming to mind.

"Aria, there's a hickey on your neck." Aria's face turned bright red at the comment, and her hand lifted up onto her neck on instinct. She could feel the soft bump by her collarbone, now already an obvious hickey. Mike was smirking in his seat, trying his best to stifle a laugh.

"You know, my life is none of your business." Aria rolled her eyes and slumped back onto the couch with crossed arms across her chest. Mike got up and slid in next to her, and sat that he was angled to face the woman with a still flushed complexion, his smirk still apparent. Aria always acted as if she was mad every time she didn't want to talk about something, hoping that the other person would just drop it. It didn't work on Mike though—he knew her better than that.

"Just be careful," he sighed, knowing that Aria wouldn't listen to anything he had to say about Ezra. She never did, not even after they broke up.

"He'll never hurt me, that much I know." She meant what she said. Ezra might've changed his hair since the last time they met, he might've gotten into better shape; he might've changed all those things but the one thing she knew he hadn't change was how he would never hurt her. He _couldn't_. Aria turned sideways in her seat, now also facing Mike. "Besides, I have you to turn to if he did." She shrugged and put on a playful smile.

"The point was to not get you hurt in the first place Aria," he sighed once again. It was impossible to lecture her on this matter. She had always been so stubborn.

"And he won't! I promise," now it was her turn to sigh. Mike still looked hesitant, and Aria was tired of talking about this. She knew none of them were going to change their minds anytime soon. She's pretty sure that it was a family trait.

"So are things between you guys serious?" Mike seemed to have finally given up on changing Aria's mind on her current relationship. Instead, he decided to find out what he could about what was going on.

"I don't know, we _just_ started going out again. I mean we met only around a week ago. I'm not sure about anything right now." Aria really wasn't. All she knew was that Ezra was there for Abby now. Who knew what the future held for her and Ezra? She felt like she could talk to him, but she still didn't know if he was there for the long run. When they were still in New York, before the fight, before Abby, they had talked about 'forever'. The future had been a sure thing, no doubt about it. But the so-called 'future' they had dreamed up all those years ago, naïve and unguarded, was this moment here. And things weren't how they planned them. She knew she was relatively young, that's what Ella always told her. That she should do what she wanted, while she still could. Even with Abby in her care, she could still work things out with the help of her friends and family. But what she really wanted was Ezra. She never admitted it, not even to herself. Not until now. Now that she had let herself think about Ezra again. Now that she was reminded of how well Ezra's arms fit around her waist. Other people might've wanted to chase their dreams of being a millionaire or own a private jet. Her dream was to fall in love. And she had gotten it, back in high school. Being the moron that she was, she let it slip away. Now that Ezra was back, it was all in her grasp again. And she was never letting go.

Mike could see that Aria felt troubled, with the mess in her head. So he let her take a sip of his hot chocolate-he _never_ let anyone drink his hot chocolate, he loved it _that_ much-and threw the blanket around them both, letting her snuggle against him. It was exactly what she needed. Some time to think, in the open arms of her brother. She had no idea how much she missed him until that moment. "So how was your flight?"

"Long." Mike didn't want to talk about what happened back in California and on his flight. It wasn't the best time; let's just leave it at that. So instead, he changed the topic. "Hey, where's Spencer?"

"She's on a date."

"Ummm… She has a boyfriend now?" Mike felt like he was missing out on everything. Next thing you know, Abby might have a little sister. She didn't, did she? From the looks of Aria's hickey, she just might.

"No, it's with a friend of Ezra's. They're just on their first date," Aria glanced at the clock with its shorthand on the number 12 and longhand on the number 22. "It's getting late, they should be back soon." Suddenly there was the sound of the door unlocking, which could only be them. "Speak of the devil."

"I had a great time, thanks for tonight. Who knew a bar in the middle of nowhere could be so much fun," Spencer's voice rung across the room from where she appeared from behind the door.

"Who knew a genius with a law degree could kick my ass in pool?" Hardy's voice could also be heard from where Aria and Mike sat. The person himself however, was still out of sight. Mike got up and mouthed 'I wanna see this guy', and walked over to the door. But instead of putting on a brother role and trying to scare Spencer's date, Mike, the unexpected visitor, was surprised by the unexpected face standing on Aria and Spencer's doorstep. Aria jolted up from the more than just comfortable couch when Mike's hand tightened into a fist and threw a punch, hitting just below Hardy's left eye. Hardy was now on the ground, Spencer next to him on her knees. Aria could only stare in shock next to Mike, looking back and forth between the two. Mike's face was beet red in anger, and his fist with pain. Hardy was covering his eye with a hand, and was looking at the ground. Without looking up, he yelled at his attacker.

"What the hell man?!"

**First off, sorry for just updating now. I've been beat with last minute assignments from school, trying to get them done before graduation. But they're all done now and I'm graduating next week so yay!**

**Anyways, tell me what you think of this chapter. Why do you think Mike did what he did? Also, this story might seem to go pretty slow but I want things to be realistic. I don't exactly want Aria and Ezra to suddenly get back to the way things were like nothing happened. Again, thanks for reading/follow/favorite/review! Please keep reviewing, anything from suggestions to critiques! Love you all xoxo**


	18. What Happens After Midnight

18. What Happens After Midnight

_Aria jolted up from the more than just comfortable couch when Mike's hand tightened into a fist and threw a punch, hitting just below Hardy's left eye. Hardy was now on the ground, Spencer next to him on her knees. Aria could only stare in shock next to Mike, looking back and forth between the two. Mike's face was beet red in anger, and his fist with pain. Hardy was covering his eye with a hand, and was looking at the ground. Without looking up, he yelled at his attacker._

"_What the hell man?!" _

Hardy was both taken aback and frankly mad at the strange younger man who had punched him in the face. He hadn't even met the guy in faded pajama pants no grown man in his right mind should be wearing, before. But Mike knew him somehow—there was a definite glint of recognition in his eyes, with a flash of fury. Being the man that Hardy was, he didn't even take a second to stop and think or assess the situation. Instead, his first reaction was to hit back. With both his hands, he pushed himself up and threw himself at Mike. They both stumbled into the loft and fell on the ground, wrestling each other. The situation might have looked helpless with only two women on site, one of them wearing 5 inch Louboutins and the other only 5 feet 2 inches tall, but said women bleed caffeine; so taking control of this particular matter at hand wasn't exactly impossible. Spencer expertly kicked off both heels and grabbed Hardy by his waist while Aria did the same with Mike, then pulled the guys off of each other at the same time. The four ended up on their backs, fortunately enough distance away from each other. Unfortunately, Mike and Hardy were fast on their feet. Only a second passed before they were brawling again. Suddenly someone else ran through the still open door and into their loft, and headed for the two men. It was Ezra, still in his shirt and vest. He jumped between Mike and Hardy, and forcefully shoved his college friend so that he was now far enough away from Mike, and wouldn't be able to get back to him because Ezra was in the way.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ezra yelled at Hardy, wondering why in the world would his friend be in a fight with his girlfriend's brother.

"Hey, he threw the first punch!" Hardy pointed his finger at the youngest person in the room. Mike still looked like he could explode any minute with spewing rage, his fists still balled by his sides.

"What the hell did you do to Savanna?" Mike practically spat. Aria and Spencer were still in the dark to whatever had Mike so worked up, but the name Savanna shed some light for Hardy. Ezra too seemed to have a clue to what was going on.

"How do you know Savanna?" The name left just a bit of confusion for Hardy. Ezra was now standing by him, facing Mike and the women.

"I asked you a question!"

"So did I! And because you brought my sister into this, you better goddamn answer it," The anger was back in Hardy's eyes. There was no hiding it, not when it came to his sister.

"Don't talk to him like that! Savanna, whoever that is, might be your sister but he's my brother," Aria spoke up. Hardy looked at her, and then at Mike and back again. He seemed to be processing the fact that they were siblings. He could see some resemblance; the same dark shade of their hair and similar hazel orbs. Mike was significantly taller though, and really young looking. Everyone was now aboard the anger train. Everyone but Spencer and Ezra.

Silence filled the room for a while; the only thing audible was the sound of a sprinkle of rain hitting the curtain-covered windows. Hardy and Mike were sharing some intense stare, each of them obviously thinking the other was wrong. It was pretty clear that Mike was protecting someone named Savanna, and Hardy was just trying to figure things out—like Mike's connection with his sister or what he knew. The rest of them just stood there watching, ready if either Mike or Hardy decided to pounce on each other again. The smell of now-only-warm chocolate wafted through the air, leaving them craving the beverage in the chilly night. Spencer hugged her sides, only now feeling the cold in her sleeveless halter dress. Ezra was running a hand over his shirt, trying to smoothen it. There were some apparent wrinkles, a result of his previous make out session with Aria. He was definitely not an expert at making himself look presentable after something like that, compared to Aria whose outfit looked as perfect as ever.

The tension in the room was thick, and Spencer decided to knock things down a notch. She didn't want the situation getting out of hand again. "Look, everyone just needs to cool down for a while. Hardy, go get some ice in the kitchen. Ezra can help you," Spencer finally spoke up. Ezra dragged him to the kitchen island and let him sit on a stool, leaving Mike, Spencer, and Aria alone.

Mike was about to say something, probably to defend his actions, but Spencer beat him to it. "Are you fucking crazy? What the fuck was that?" Spencer yelled, slightly shoving Mike so that he staggered back, as soon as Hardy and Ezra were far enough away. They were now closer to the door, which Spencer closed once she noticed its still being open. They all could still see each other, since there wasn't any wall separating the living room and kitchen, but she didn't care. She didn't curse very much either, but there was an exception for insane situations like this. "You better have some killer explanation to why you just freaking punched Hardy out of nowhere, because that was just plain dumb."

"I couldn't just let it go, he did something to Savanna and-"

"Okay, how do you even know this Savanna?" Aria was tired of being in the dark. The name kept popping up, and all she concluded from the previous little shouting match was that she was Hardy's sister.

"She's a friend from California. And the last time I saw her she was a mess, crying about something her brother did. Something _he_ did," Mike gestured to Hardy, who was putting ice on his face and talking to Ezra.

"What did he do exactly?" At this, Mike grew silent. His eyes found the walls to focus on, not meeting Aria's eyes. "You're kidding me right? You don't know?" He looked back up.

"I didn't need to know, you should've seen her. She was all over the place. I hated seeing her like that. I knew it was his fault. It always is." Mike was acting unreasonably mad at something that had upset a friend. Aria had a feeling she wasn't just a friend to him. That's the only explanation why Mike was making such a big deal out of a few shed tears.

"I'm gonna go get some ice for you," Aria left for the kitchen, actually wanting to talk to Ezra since he seemed to know something about this Savanna. She settled next to Ezra, facing Hardy across the kitchen island. "You okay? I'm so sorry about my brother."

"Don't worry about it, it's probably my fault. He was just trying to stand up for Savanna. It's good that she has someone like that in her life." Aria gave a soft smile, glad that Hardy was much calmer now. Spencer's idea for them to cool down was definitely working.

"Can I talk to you?" Aria said to Ezra, motioning for him to follow her closer to the pantry so that Hardy wouldn't be able to hear them. "What's really going on with Hardy and his sister? Mike said she was doing really bad back in California."

"Maybe you should ask Hardy yourself, it's not exactly my place to tell," Ezra sounded serious and actually worried. Aria nodded understandingly. She got why Ezra didn't feel right about blabbing things about his friend, especially if it was concerning family problems.

"Hey, what are you doing back here? I thought you already went home," for some reason, this was just occurring to her now.

"I left my tie, and I kind of need it for tomorrow. Since I hadn't driven that far, I thought I could just get it. Mike and Hardy in a fight wasn't exactly what I thought I would find from down the hall through the open door. Don't worry about finding my tie though, I'll just use another one." Ezra led her back to Hardy, and grabbed some ice from the fridge on the way. He handed them over Aria to give to Mike. He figured that was one of the reasons she went to the kitchen other than to apologize.

"Hardy, why don't you just go sit on the couch and we can all talk." Aria moved the blanket and pillows onto the floor so that there'd be room to sit. Ezra settled on the single couch, with Hardy beside him on another couch for two. She waved Spencer and Mike over, so that Spencer was now seated with Hardy and Mike on the single couch beside Spencer. Aria rested on Ezra's armrest, though careful not to get too close to him aware of Mike's watchful eyes. It showed that he wasn't as mad as he was before anymore, which was a good sign. It was best if no one in the room had any anger left so they could just talk everything out. Aria handed her brother the ice Ezra gave her before settling back on the armrest to buy some time before anyone had to speak up. She honestly didn't know what to say in a situation like this, mostly because she had never been in one.

"Look man, I'm sorry about before," Mike was first to break the silence. "But you have to sort things out with Savanna. That's all I really wanted from you. I guess my anger got the better of me." He had had some issues with his emotions in the past, but it hadn't been a problem lately. Not until now, that is.

"I know, I really messed things up." It was all Hardy said. He didn't explain what he had exactly 'messed up' or how, and he didn't seem to hold a grudge for what Mike did either. At least that latter part was a relief. "So how do you know Savanna?"

"She works part time at my local coffee shop as a barista."

"Are you guys…" Hardy let the question hang in the air. He didn't need to finish it anyway, it was pretty obvious what he was asking.

"No, we're just close friends."

Somehow, Hardy wasn't buying this. He didn't tell Mike though, he just simply nodded along. "I think I should go, it's getting late." As he got up, his watch caught on something. That something, embarrassingly, was Ezra's tie stuck under the cushion. Both Ezra and Aria turned crimson as soon as they spotted its end poking out. It wasn't hard to connect the dots from the tie, Aria's hickey, and Ezra's crumpled shirt. Spencer looked like she could burst into laughter any second now, but miraculously held it.

"Th-that's mine," Ezra snatched the tie from Hardy, who was also smirking at the couple, and balled it up before stuffing it in his pocket. "I'm just going to go," he left with Hardy and closed the door behind him. As soon as the three were left alone in the loft, Spencer burst into giggles.

"What happened to 'just patching things up?'" Mike teased, referring to what Aria had told him earlier that night. Aria grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, her face still beet red.

"You know what, I'm gonna go." Aria got up and left for her room. She could still hear Spencer laughing, even after stepping into her bedroom. "Good night, it's been a long one." Aria said before closing her door. It's been long, indeed.

**First of all, I'm so sorry I haven't updated the last couple of weeks. I was at my grandma's place and there was so wifi whatsoever. Practically felt like dying. But I am making it up to you by updating before the end of this week!**

**So anyway, tell me what you think of this chapter. There have been a lot of new follow/favorites, so thank you all. Keep reviewing! xoxo**


	19. It's Getting Hot

19. It's Getting Hot

"_You know what, I'm gonna go." Aria got up and left for her room. She could still hear Spencer laughing, even after stepping into her bedroom. "Good night, it's been a long one." Aria said before closing her door. It's been long, indeed._

* * *

Aria watched as the parking lot of Rosewood Elementary filled with kids getting in their parents' cars and those cars driving away. It was 3:17 p.m., a few minutes shy of the time she had set up with Ezra to meet. They had arranged to check out Abby's preschool together. She wouldn't have minded waiting if it wasn't so hot that afternoon. She could've sworn there was a heat wave going on, but the weather forecast said otherwise. The underside of Aria's lap burned against the metal bench she was sitting on. Her idea of wearing shorts to survive the blazing sun had definitely backfired. Thank god she had brought a hat, or else she would have already melted by now. She didn't care that it was scientifically impossible—it felt like she was on the verge of her melting point.

Suddenly someone tapped her shoulder from behind, and she turned around. To her surprise, it was Toby Cavanaugh. It's been years since she last saw him, but he still looked as good as he did back then. Maybe even better. He had on a leather jacket over a simple white t-shirt, which somehow looked casual, and the same old confident smile. That _perfect_ smile. No wonder Spencer went out with him. They had been inseparable until about the time when Spencer was about to move to New York. She had asked Toby to come with her. She even looked for a place for them to live together in, and a job for Toby in his department. Aria and the other girls had told her not to get her hopes up, but she didn't listen. As devastating as it was, the girls were right. For some reason, Toby decided to not follow Spencer to New York. He said that he had a big opportunity here in Rosewood, opening up a landscape design company. Spencer tried to convince him that he could do that in New York with her, but he said that his chances were better here. And like it or not, it was kind of true. Knowing that they were headed their separate ways, things between the two ended. It wasn't all neat and tidy though. Spencer still insisted that he go with her, but Toby stood his ground. They ended things in a fight and Spencer left with only one last goodbye where both of them were still pretty mad. Spencer didn't do very well in the weeks that followed, but she had her girls as a shoulder to cry on. She really had loved him. But now it's been years since Aria last caught Spencer crying under her blanket with a bottle of wine over Toby. And from how good the guy looked standing in front of her now; she figured he must've gotten over Spencer too.

"Aria, what are you doing here?" Toby asked with a pleasant grin. Aria pondered whether or not he was wondering if Spencer was in town too. He knew that after Spencer's plan to live with him in New York went up in flames, she had decided to stay with Aria instead. It was pretty reasonable since they were both going to attend NYU. At least that's what Toby knew. He didn't know that Aria had declined NYU's offer because she was pregnant—nobody did.

"Actually, I'm back." Aria gave him a warm smile. She had always been pretty close with him when he went out with Spencer. He was a pretty stand up guy.

"In Rosewood?" Aria nodded in response. "For good?" Toby sounded pretty shocked. Aria nodded again. "Is, um, Spencer back too?"

"Yeah, we actually share a loft." Aria could see that Toby looked pretty nervous when the subject of Spencer came up. The confidence in his smile was replaced by jitters, and it showed very well. He never really was one to cover up his feelings—at least not one that was good at it.

"A loft, huh? Fancy," Toby said with a soft chuckle, obviously trying to be playful.

"Yeah well, you know Spencer." Aria played along. She felt kind of bad for the guy. If he was this nervous just talking about Spencer, she could only imagine how he would do to actually talk to the woman. A few silent seconds passed by before he spoke up again.

"So what are you doing here, here?" Toby gestured to the bench she was sitting on just a minute ago. She had stood up once Toby came over.

"I'm meeting someone," Aria wasn't sure how much to tell him about what he missed in the past few years of her life—and her daughter's.

"You're meeting someone in Rosewood Elementary?" Toby sounded skeptical. She didn't blame him though. The idea did seem a bit weird if you didn't know why she was really meeting someone there. Like to apply her daughter for preschool. Aria wasn't sure if she should tell him everything right there and then. Her 'story' was still pretty heavy even if she put it in a nutshell. But then again, she couldn't avoid telling people about Abby forever. At least Toby wouldn't judge her if she told him… would he?

"I'm," Aria cleared her throat to buy some time before continuing, "checking out the preschool." Toby wrinkled his forehead in confusion. Why would Aria be looking at a preschool? Somehow the thought of her actually having a child didn't even cross him mind. Aria thought it would be easier to get things over with, so she just blurted the truth out. "I actually have a daughter now, she's almost four." Her confession definitely took Toby by surprise, because it took him a few seconds before being able to respond.

"That's great! Wow, I've missed a lot haven't I?" Toby finally said. He tried his best to subtly glance at Aria's fingers to check for a ring, but failed to hide his curiosity. She decided to face things in the face, so she held up both hands.

"No husband or fiancé," Aria said with a soft chortle. She made the statement sound lighthearted, not mean as if she was pointing out that she caught him looking.

"Actually, _I'm_ the one with a fiancé." Toby blushed quite obviously, and Aria couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Congratulations! Who's the lucky lady?" It was great for Toby, but all Aria could really think about was how she could tell Spencer about this.

"Her name's Lily soon-to-be Cavanaugh, we opened our landscape design company together last year. It's actually right there," Toby pointed at a building across the road. "Talking about Lily, I have to go. She's been planning the wedding and you know how brides can be. Better get back to her. See you around," Toby gave her a slight wave as he walked away, and she did the same.

Turning back around to face the school, she was for the second time today surprised by the presence of a man behind her. This time however, it was Ezra and he greeted her with a kiss. A _very_ _good _kiss. Fortunately she knew that it was him, or else she would definitely have thought it was some freak kissing her out of nowhere. And she surely would've kicked his ass. The kiss ended a second too soon, and Ezra pulled away. There was a twinkle in his eyes, and she knew there was one in hers too. The moment might have looked like a simple one, but it was definitely special for them. It was their first time in public in Rosewood, and they couldn't care less that people were around. Well actually that's partly because no one there knew them, but the moment was symbolic enough.

"And hello to you too. I got you ice coffee," Aria held up a cup, which only had ¾ of coffee left. "I drank some since I finished my own cup some time ago," she shrugged, getting a light laugh from Ezra.

"Still ice coffee. I've been craving this since the afternoon, thanks to the heat." Aria could definitely see Ezra's struggle with the annoying sun, what with his sleeves rolled up and tie's absence. "Let's go in, I heard the preschool has AC."

The couple passed the main door and walked to the side of the building, where the preschool was. Aria herself had gone to Rosewood Preschool, but there had been a renovation when she was still in elementary school. Now it looked nothing like the preschool she had attended all those years ago. As she and Ezra walked in through the doors, a very welcomed cool breeze greeted them.

"How'd you-" Aria was about to ask how Ezra knew that they had AC, but he knew the question before she even finished talking.

"Chat in the teacher's lounge. We _really_ have nothing interesting to talk about," this made Aria giggle as they approached the first door on their left with the word OFFICE on it. Ezra held it open for her and motioned for Aria to come in, which she did. They were met with a woman behind a wooden desk. She had on a pair of glasses with black thick frames, and blonde hair tied up in a neat yet loose bun. There were a few ringlets framing her pale skin, grazing the shoulder of her soft pink cardigan that tightly hugged her body over a white button down shirt. She got up once she spotted the couple walking in through the doors, a 'good afternoon' escaping her lips in an unexpected frail voice.

"Good afternoon, we're looking for a preschool for our daughter. We were wondering if we could have a look at the program here and of course the environment," Aria was straight to the point, slightly startling Ezra. What he didn't know was that Aria had actually been looking at several preschools in the past month. She always had a liking to Rosewood Preschool though, so that was the one she offered up to Ezra. She had called him this morning, asking if he wanted to directly enroll Abby if everything worked out that afternoon. He had of course said yes.

"Please, have a seat." Aria and Ezra sat on the two chairs by the table, across from the woman. "My name's Denise," The blonde introduced herself and started explaining the school system and payments. She laid out a pamphlet she obviously always used with all the little scribbles and circles here and there on the thick shiny paper. Everything she explained sounded pretty great, but Aria had one particular concern in mind.

"How's the safety here? I mean, all I know is that you have security guards but so do every other building." She didn't mean to sound rude, she was just worried about leaving Abby alone. She had left Abby before, but it was always with someone she completely trusted like her mom, or dad, or one of the girls. And that one time with Ezra. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with leaving Abby for a whole day in some building. Denise however, didn't seem offended at all.

"Don't worry, that's a concern for a lot of parents. We have a very tight security system. No one can pick your daughter up unless it's you or your husband." Denise motioned at Aria and Ezra, and they both cut in at the word husband.

"Oh no, we um-"

"He's not-"

"We're not," Ezra shook his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry. But you are the father, yes?" Ezra nodded. "Well, I meant any of the two parents. Or someone you have cleared. She or he will have to be formally introduced to the security team first, and sign a kind of lease for the responsibility of your daughter. And every time that person comes to pick up the child, a signature will be required so we'll know it's the same person."

"Wow, don't you think that's just a tad extrem-"

"Perfect!" Aria cut in. Ezra couldn't believe how serious they took this whole security thing. He wanted Abby to be safe, but this was pretty over the top in his opinion. But it made Aria feel more at ease, so it sounded pretty good to him too. Aria raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows at him, asking if he wanted Abby to enroll here. Ezra gave a subtle nod. "When can our daughter start attending preschool here? She's almost 4."

"Well, as soon as the payments are done she can start coming to school. Preferably on a Monday. We've only started school this week so she wouldn't have missed anything." Denise looked pretty pleased with herself, that Aria and Ezra was interested in enrolling Abby here.

"We're planning on completing all payments today, is it possible for our daughter to start coming here Monday?" Ezra asked.

"Absolutely! We'll email you the payment details and you can come tomorrow at ten to complete the registration. You can write your email here," Denise offered them a pen and pad, which Aria used to write her email address. "Thank you very much, we appreciate you trusting us with your daughter. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow." Aria and Ezra then thanked her and left the room.

"I feel like I just got out of a children's show and am now finally adjusting back to normal life," Ezra joked about how chirpy Denise was.

"Shut up," Aria punched him in the arm. "You want to go to my place and see Abby? She'll be with Byron tomorrow so you wont get to see until Friday." It was Wednesday, and Byron was planning to have the three year old all day tomorrow.

"Sure, I've got my car. You didn't drive here, right?" Ezra asked Aria as she started to lead the way out. She simply shook her head as a reply. "Wait a minute," Ezra yanked her closer to him by her arm, his arms naturally wrapping around her waist, a smirk forming on his lips. "If Abby will be at your dad's this Thursday, does this mean we have some time to ourselves?" Aria raised her eyebrows.

"Well, Spencer will still be around…" Aria rested her arms around Ezra's neck.

"I wasn't exactly thinking of your loft," Ezra whispered to her ear, which caused a shiver to go up her spine.

"Careful, Ms. Sunshine there might hear you." Aria referred to Denise, who was just a door away. "But sure, I miss that little apartment of yours."

"I miss you in it," Ezra said against Aria's lips, before softly kissing her. She was about to deepen the kiss when Ezra pulled away. "You can have me tomorrow," a smile tugging at his lips. He untangled himself from her, and pulled a giggling Aria back under the torturous sun.

**An update before the end of the week to make up for the two weeks without one, as promised! Tell what you think of this chapter as a review, although as always i do accept anything from suggestions to criticism. They're motivation!**

**To FishsticksAndCustard: You mentioned wondering about what had happened to Spencer and Toby, so here you go! I actually love them as a couple, so it pained me to write this hahha  
**

**Love y'all xoxo**


	20. Daddy Issues

20. Daddy Issues

"_But sure, I miss that little apartment of yours."_

"_I miss you in it," Ezra said against Aria's lips, before softly kissing her. She was about to deepen the kiss when Ezra pulled away. "You can have me tomorrow," a smile tugging at his lips. He untangled himself from her, and pulled a giggling Aria back under the torturous sun._

* * *

"He's close," Mike said as he placed his iPhone back on the table, referring to Byron. He had told his parents that he's in town last night, and now Byron was on his way here to pick up Mike and Abby so he could spend some time with them. It was just 8 o'clock in the morning, and everyone was already up and about in the loft. Aria had a class in half an hour, Spencer had to go into work, and Byron insisted to come as early as possible once he knew that his son was back in town. Spencer placed three cups of black coffee on the table and a plate of bagels, which everyone immediately dove in for. Soon, their mouths were full of the breakfast.

"This is way too strong," Mike winced as he sipped the coffee Spencer made. Aria herself used to think so, but she had had more than four years to adjust to the taste. Besides, with late nights of taking care of Abby when she was still a baby and now staying up to finish whatever work her merciless professor assigned her, she needed the caffeine as much as Spencer did.

"What? You're still not used to Spencer's coffee after all these years?" Aria asked, feigning innocence. Mike gave her a look that said 'What'd you expect?' Aria shrugged, "I got used to it."

"Yeah well, you're just as bad as she is." Mike gestured to Spencer, who seemed to be doing a hundred things at once. She was zipping up her laptop bag, taking a bite of her bagel, stuffing papers into her handbag, and gulping down the still hot coffee. "Are you okay?" asked Mike, genuinely concerned that she might drop something. The only response he got was an 'Mhmm'. "So, will you be home after I get back from Byron's? I don't exactly have a key," this time, Mike asked his questioned to Aria.

"Ummm… Spencer will be here," Aria avoided mentioning that she'll be at Ezra's place. Mike was still warming up to the idea of them, and she didn't want to push it. However, to Aria's horror, Mike caught on pretty quick.

"And you'll be…" Mike urged her to complete the sentence.

"Out," Aria tried to sound casual before stuffing her mouth with the rest of her bagel so she wouldn't be able to say anything else.

"Out where?"

"Just out with Ezra, okay. Gosh, what is with the third degree?" Aria huffed, overreacting.

"Whoa, calm down. I was just asking," Mike tried to shrug it off even though the thought of Aria and Ezra still bugged him. Spencer on the other hand, had more interest in the conversation when the subject of them going out came up. She settled both handbag and laptop against a foot of the table, and joined Mike on the couch with Aria on the single seat.

"Oh, are you guys going on another date?" Spencer asked, her voice laced with curiosity. She sounded almost as excited as Aria was about the day, although its possibility was doubtful. "From what you told me about the last one, it'll be pretty hard to top it."

"No, we're not doing anything special. Actually now that we're talking about this, I was meaning to ask you for a tiny favor." Aria held her thumb and pointer finger close together to demonstrate how tiny of a favor it was.

"Sure, but I don't see how this has anything to do with you asking for a favor." Spencer wrinkled her forehead.

"Well after completing Abby's registration at ten, I was wondering if you could drop me off at Ezra's." Yesterday they had decided that Spencer should come along to the registration so that she could sign the lease to pick Abby up like Denise, the administration lady, had said. It turned out that Ezra had classes from the morning until around eleven, so he couldn't come anyway. The rest of the day however, he was free. So he decided to meet Aria at his apartment after she was done at Abby's preschool.

"Of course. So you're going over to his place, huh?" Spencer said with a smirk and raised eyebrows. Mike's head snapped up at this.

"Yeah, I guess I just miss it. I mean I haven't been there in years," Aria knew where Spencer's mind was headed, and she wanted to steer clear of exactly that topic.

"I'm just saying if you want some privacy here, I can totally head out anytime." She continued to tease.

"Oh god, I so don't need to hear this about my sister," Mike groaned. He had wanted to say 'my sister and my ex-teacher', but wasn't sure if it was something he could say or still a touchy subject. "Maybe I'll just go check on Abby in her room," he was already getting up and ready to leave, but Aria caught him by the arm.

"I don't want to hear it either, so stay." Aria pulled Mike back into his seat. "Besides, it's so not like that." Aria shot Spencer a look, which she decided to laugh at. "So I bumped into Toby yesterday," Aria changed the subject. The room was suddenly tense, the playfulness in the air gone. Aria knew it was a low blow, but it was the perfect time to bring it up. She hadn't gotten the courage to mention it at all yesterday. At least not with Ezra around, who fortunately didn't meet Mike when he was here to spend time with Abby before Byron got her today because her brother was out all night. In fact, Aria was pretty surprised to see him up early this morning.

"Oh, how is he?" Spencer asked with a soft and almost frail voice, looking down at her empty cup. Aria said a short 'Fine' before Spencer asked again, "Is he seeing anyone?"

"Spence, he's um…" the taller woman raised an eyebrow at Aria to urge her on. "He's engaged."

"Oh, good for him." Spencer's whole facial expression changed. She didn't exactly look sad, but it was pretty obvious that she didn't actually think it was 'good' either.

"I bet she's fat," Aria said, trying to cheer up her roommate.

Spencer chuckled at her attempt, "Yeah, I bet."

"I don't get you women. Being fat isn't always so bad you know," Mike protested, obviously not understanding women at all. True, loving your body the way it is was great but calling a girl fat has always been and will always be the greatest insult. Both women in the room pitifully looked at him.

"Oh sweetie, I get what you're trying to say. I do," Aria placed a hand on his arm. "But don't you ever call a girl anything but thin and gorgeous."

"At least if you want to ever see her again, that is." Spencer chimed in. The only thing Mike could do was shake his head. Sometimes he really didn't understand women. So instead of responding to the silliness that is their current conversation, he continued eating his breakfast. The moment he was done, which was not the least bit long, his phone beeped. It was a text from Byron, telling him that he was in his car out front.

* * *

"So how long are you staying?" Byron asked his son who sat next to him in the passenger seat, as he drove down the two-lane street. Aria and Abby were in the backseat, their seatbelts on and buckled. Aria was hitching a ride to Hollis, since Mike had used her car last night and forgot to fill the gas. There was no time left for her to go to the gas station and then get to class on time, nor was there enough gas to go all the way to Hollis. This was why she had to ask Spencer for a ride to Ezra's. Aria really felt like strangling her little brother.

"A week or two, I'm not sure. I'm planning to go to Italy with some friends, but they haven't told me when exactly in these couple of weeks they can go. So until then, I'm staying here." Mike always traveled with his friends every time he was off of school. Apparently his part time job at a record shop back in California earned him enough money to do that. Aria would never tell him, but she was really proud. He had a bit of a rough time in Rosewood, but going off to UCLA and being on his own seemed to be the magic solution. Who knew?

"I wanna go to Italy! Can we mommy?" Abby said excitedly, looking up at Aria. Mike smirked and looked at her through the rearview mirror. He couldn't wait to see what Aria would come up with to tell her daughter that they couldn't just get up and leave anytime they wanted.

"That's a great idea, sweetie!" Aria said, a smile tugging on her lips. Something told Mike that she had something up her sleeve. "Why don't you go with Uncle Mike and his friends?" She looked back him through the same mirror. His smirk was gone, replaced by a deer in the headlights look. He had not seen this one coming. Unlike his sister, he wasn't naturally good with kids. He loved them, he did. But sometimes he didn't know what to say in situations like these, when he had to tell a little girl that something was definitely not going to happen without making her cry and scream bloody murder. To his delight however, Abby had another idea on her mind.

"I don't wanna go with Uncle Mikey's friends," Abby shook her head. 'Uncle Mikey' has always been what she called him, and he actually kind of liked it—even though he would never admit it. "But let's all go! Grams, Granddad-and of course Uncle Mikey-, Aunt Spencer, Aunty Hanna, Emma, Uncle Caleb, Aunt Ems, the two of us _and_ Ezra!"

"And who?!" Byron screeched to a stop. She was pretty sure that the car had created actual marks on the road. The street was thankfully-and unusually-empty, so they hadn't caused any trouble by abruptly coming to a halt. Aria still hadn't told neither Ella or Byron about Ezra being around, let alone about introducing him to Abby. She had caught Mike up on this, so he looked just as horrified as she did. Her eyes were practically bulging out of her head, not believing that that just happened. She could feel hear heart hammering in her chest, a little too painful than the usual. For a second there she thought she was having a heart attack, but realized that she was overreacting. Still, she couldn't open her mouth to say anything. She tried to come up with something-a lie maybe?- but knew that she had to tell Byron anyway. At least this way he couldn't yell or anything, since Abby was there. Abby, who was oblivious to the tension that had filled the car.

"He's my dad, have you met him?" Abby asked innocently with her big adorable smile. Now Byron knew that Ezra was back _and_ that Aria had told Abby that he was her father. She couldn't believe she had been so stupid to not think that Abby wouldn't bring Ezra up. She had been spending _a lot_ of time with him lately. She even brought the doll Ezra bought her in her white bunny backpack, for Christ's sake. Aria wanted to bump her hand to her forehead over and over again, but couldn't because Byron's eyes had found hers in the rearview mirror. They were as stunned as Aria's, but with a little bit more anger.

"Yes I have," Byron answer shortly before driving again, speeding to Hollis in silence. No one talked on the way, with it being only a two-minute drive. When they got there, Aria kissed her daughter goodbye on the cheek and headed out. But apparently she wasn't the only one getting out of the car. Byron too had stepped out, beckoning Aria to follow him to a shaded area under a tree. A few beats passed before he spoke up, his eyes boring into hers. She tried to look away, but it was like he held the gaze so that it was physically unable for her to do so. "Aria, why have you kept the fact that Ezra is back a secret?"

"I'm sorry. I really am, but I didn't keep it a secret. I just simply haven't told you." Aria bit her bottom lip before continuing, "I bumped into him around two weeks ago. Apparently he had gotten back from California a few months back. We talked, I told him about Abby, and then I told Abby about him." A smile graced her lips as she finished, "They're bonding really great." Byron still had a stern look on his face. She could tell that he wasn't happy with this, but knew that he couldn't do anything about it either. "Please don't be mad." She didn't want him blaming Ezra now that he's around. Byron must've known what was on her mind, because he tried to look less upset.

"I just wish you had told me," he sighed. "Does your mother know?" Aria shook her head 'no'. "Well you better tell her before she finds out from someone else like Abby," he chuckled. He actually _chuckled_. He wasn't yelling. His reaction wasn't as bad as Aria thought it would be. He wanted to be mad at his daughter, but what he really felt was just hurt. Why would Aria not tell him something as important as Abby's father showing up? He couldn't seem to think of any reason why she would keep a serious matter like that to herself. But he also knew that Aria felt guilty about it. It was written all over her face. Knowing his daughter regreting her mistake and feeling bad was enough for him to know that she didn't mean to hurt him. Not intentionally, at least. Byron glanced at his watch. It was 8:23. Aria's class was starting in seven minutes. It was about time for her to go get to it. "So Abby has a father now?" Aria nodded, her face brightening up. "Well I'm happy for her. For you too."

"I love you, and I'm really sorry." Aria gave her own father a hug.

"I know honey, I love you too." He hugged her back. "Now go get to your class before you're late." Aria let go of him and gave a slight wave, before jogging into the building and praying that she would make it in time. God knows what punishment her professor would give if he catches her coming in late.

**Tell me what you guys think of this chapter! I pretty much hate Byron on the show so I don't wanna make him as much of a douchebag here. He is however, still her father and everything can't just run smoothly. Anyways, the next chapter will definitely feature some Ezria time so tell me what you want and expect! Thank for everything, love you xo**


	21. Old Friends Or Old Flame?

21. Old Friends Or Old Flame?

"_I love you, and I'm really sorry." Aria gave her own father a hug._

"_I know honey, I love you too." He hugged her back. "Now go get to your class before you're late." Aria let go of him and gave a slight wave, before jogging into the building and praying that she would make it in time. God knows what punishment her professor would give if he catches her coming in late._

* * *

"I don't have to deal with her _every time_ I pick up Abby, right?" Spencer asked, glancing at the woman beside her for a moment before looking back at the road. She was talking about Denise, the administration lady in Rosewood Preschool.

"No," Aria laughed. It seemed like Spencer has the same feeling towards the slightly over the top woman as Ezra did. Very annoyed.

"Good, 'cause I think I'm getting a migraine." She switched lanes and then made a right, approaching the street lined with apartments. This part of Rosewood was very different from the neighborhood of picket-fenced houses and freshly cut front lawns. That was where Aria's old house was, the one Ella was living in now with her boyfriend. This place however, felt more authentic with its worn in apartment buildings and trees lining one side of the road so that it never gets too hot. It's exactly the kind of place Aria liked, somewhere _not_ picture perfect. Her own apartment with Spencer was in the middle of the two 'kinds' of Rosewoods, close enough to Spencer's work and yet still cozy for Aria's taste. They were now on their way to Ezra's, having finished with the completion of registering Abby in her preschool. She had told the little girl that she would soon be going to school, and she couldn't be more excited.

Silence filled the car for a minute or two, Spencer's mind obviously wandering off. Aria was actually a bit worried about her friend, knowing that the news about Toby's engagement had affected her in someway. "Spence, you okay?" Aria decided to snap the woman back to reality. For one, she wanted her to just talk about it instead of keeping it all in. She knew how frustrating that could be. And second, she really didn't want them to crash just because Spencer got lost in her thoughts.

"Uh, yeah." She plastered a smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine." Spencer had in fact been thinking about Toby. How could he have gotten engaged? And so fast? Was she _that_ easy to get over? And besides, look at her now. She didn't even have a boyfriend for crying out loud.

"You can talk to me about it you know. It's okay to feel… well, the way you do about Toby and everything." Aria didn't know how to phrase how Spencer must have felt. She knew the feeling, and it was indescribable. _Dreadfully_ indescribable.

"The thing is, it's not even really about Toby." Spencer sighed. "I'm really happy for him, I am. But is it wrong to envy him? Not to sound absolutely self-absorbed or anything, but how great he's doing is making me feel really bad about myself." Aria understood this. Every time she sees that someone –especially an ex-boyfriend- she hasn't met or kept in touch with for a while is doing more than well, she would look at herself and feel really low. Looks like it doesn't only happen to her. "I mean I've always thought that we'd grow up, get out of here, find love, and settle down. I guess life just never turns out as planned."

"I'm a walking example," Aria referred to the unexpected turn of events in her life, which was Abby. Things turned out even better than everything she could ever hope for, though. "But hey, at least we got out of Rosewood for a while."

"Emphasis on the 'for a while'," Spencer said with a slight chortle. It's almost impossible to leave this town. As much as you want to, there would always be some reason to stay. And even if you finally leave, something will always rope you right back. As was the case with her and Aria. However, they actually enjoy being back here. Maybe it's the familiarity or something, they didn't know. But it has been surprisingly good to be in Rosewood.

"Oh well, life's no fun without surprises." Aria stated a-mater-of-factly.

"Neither is this," Spencer joked, pulling up to a dark cream colored building where Ezra lived, referring to whatever 'life' they were living now.

"Hey, what about Hardy?" Aria said, smiling excitedly. Spencer had sounded really happy about the date.

"He's fine," Spencer answered, getting raised eyebrows from Aria. "Okay, he's great." She sighed. A real smile was forming on her face, with that familiar rush of scarlet on her cheeks.

"Look at you blushing," Aria teased, nudging Spencer's arm.

"I think I might really like him. There's something about the guy that makes you all excited. He's like a rush of adrenaline. When I'm with him, I actually have fun. Like I _am_ fun." But then just like that, her face fell. The thrill in her voice was gone, and her eyes were dim. "He doesn't seem like the marrying kind of guy, though."

"Where is this coming from? Why are you already thinking about marriage?" Spencer just shrugged gloomily. "I think you should go see him. Toby, I mean. He's obviously the reason to why you're acting this way. Go and catch up with him, show him what he's missing." Aria couldn't help but laugh at her last sentence. It was the only advice she had. She knew it wouldn't boost Spencer's spirits up very much since she was over him, but it would definitely be fun.

"You're right. Before I found out about him being engaged, I didn't think that much about marriage. Actually, I was pretty wrapped up in my date with Hardy." Spencer felt much better. Maybe she should go talk to Toby. It sounded like a great idea, and she really wanted to see how he was these days. "You know what I think?" The bounce is her voice was back, clearly not absurdly thinking about getting married anymore. "_I_ think you should get out of here and see Ezra. We both know you're getting some in there," Spencer gestured at he apartment.

"Shut up," Aria said, blushing as she got out of the car. "Thanks for the ride, Spence. Oh, and Toby's landscape design company is right across Rosewood Elementary, you can't miss it. You know, in case you wanted to 'show him what he's missing'." They both cracked up as Aria shut the car door and watched it drive away. She walked over to where all the buttons were, and found the one with 3B on it. Just as she was about to press, a man in his forties and supporting a really questionable ensemble of clothes opened the door from inside.

"You going in?" He held the door open for her, and she thanked him while taking hold of it so that he could leave. Once he did, the door pushed her with its weight, apparently way too heavy for her. She managed to keep it open—barely. It gave way just slightly, but enough for her to slip in. She climbed up the stairs to the third floor, her black studded heels making a tapping sound against each tiled staircase.

She reached the first door on her left, a dark green wooden board with the number 3B in gold screwed onto it. Aria knocked on the door twice, Ezra's familiar voice answered her with a 'Be right there'. She quickly fluffed her hair and pressed her lips together, wanting to look perfect. She was still worried about the little things like crooked skirts and make up smudges around Ezra, no matter how close and comfortable she got with the guy. The door opened just a second later with Ezra still in his work pants and shirt, the first few buttons undone. She had to admit, she _really liked_ this look. Not to sound cheesy, but it took her breath away. Or at least got it caught at the back of her throat. Other than Ezra's warm smile brightening at the sight of her on his doorstep, Aria's eyes were fixed on Ezra's chest peeking out from under the top of his shirt. She forced on a nonchalant smile, though her eyes were very betraying.

"Hey, come in. Sorry, I hadn't exactly gotten to clean up." He moved aside to make way for her, and she stepped in.

"Oh no, y-you look fine." Aria said casually, her eyes still on Ezra.

"What?" He had been talking about the as always cluttered up apartment, not his clothes. Aria however, obviously had her mind elsewhere. Now that Ezra really looked at himself, he realized that he was probably just as disheveled as his apartment. And that was saying a lot. "Actually I was talking about the apartment, but thank you for making me notice the mess that I am."

"Oh you meant the apartment." Aria's face was starting to turn crimson. She hadn't been really listening earlier. But when she caught the words 'hadn't gotten to clean up', her mind went straight to how Ezra looked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that you were- I mean you're not- I didn't mean that. Oh god," She put her head in her hands, trying to hide her shame. She couldn't believe she had been so distracted; her only excuse was that it had been three years. Three years was a long time. For what, she wasn't going to say but doesn't everyone already know? She wasn't really planning for anything to happen tonight, but the idea did pop in her head. And to be frank, it never really went away.

"It's fine," Ezra laughed and shut the door behind him before coming closer and removing Aria's hands from her face, holding them in his own. "Wait a minute, how did you get here? I didn't buzz you in." Somehow this was just occurring to him now, having been slightly startled by Aria's presence earlier. He hadn't forgotten about her coming over or anything, he just thought that she'd tell him if she was on her way here. Visits without any 'warnings' obviously didn't agree with him, since he and his apartment both apparently looked like shit. He had wanted to tidy up here and there but Aria arriving so early clearly took him by surprise.

"This guy in an orange jumpsuit opened the door for me. I don't know why I felt like I had to mention that he was in an orange jumpsuit," Aria shrugged. The guy eerily looked like he was escaping from prison, and it crept her out a bit. She wondered if the content of the huge bag he carried was a body, or some illegal weapons. The thought made her shudder.

"Oh yeah, that's Dave. Gave me the creeps first time I saw him but he's actually really nice." Ezra's arms were now wrapped around Aria's waist, a habit he had picked up from the first time they started dating.

"Well he _did_ open the door for me," Aria laughed. She took Ezra's arms off her body and dragged him onto the couch, jumping onto it with a bounce. Her landing was so incredibly soft; she didn't ever want to move. "Oh I miss this couch." Ezra laughed at her, knowing how much she loved the furniture. She had grown attached to it what with all the time they used to spend holed up in his apartment. But then again, he figured anyone would love it once they sat. With its smooth brown leather and incredibly soft cushions, no one would be able to resist. Ezra lifted Aria's legs off the couch and sat were they laid, before placing them on his lap.

"You know what I miss?" Ezra then swiftly got on his knees and leaned forward, his lips inches away from Aria's. "I miss this," he chastely kissed her under her lips. "And this," he kissed the side of her jaw. "And this," he kissed her under her ear. The soft kisses made Aria shudder, the different kind from when she saw spooky ol' Dave. Ezra was playing with her skin, occasionally nibbling her ear. Aria felt his lips move down to her neck, and she couldn't help but stop him. It wasn't for the reason you would think, though. In fact, it was exactly the opposite. She flipped them over, now on top. All of her hair was on one side, beautifully framing the side of her face. She crashed her lips with Ezra's, definitely far more intense than the teasing soft kisses he had given her. And she knew he was avoiding her lips for a reason. Surprising Aria, Ezra deepened their kiss and traced her bottom lip with his tongue. Cherry. Aria immediately opened her mouth, letting his tongue roam around and meet her own. Their mouths moved to a certain beat—their own. Things were getting heated, both of them frantically moving together. Ezra's arm was -as always- around her waist, while the other played with her hair. Her own arm was on his body, the other hand fiddling with the hem of his shirt. It was starting to ride up, and so was her top. The couple got even more riled up, the moment their torsos touched. The only sounds in the apartment were now labored breaths and soft moans.

* * *

Spencer's apartment with Aria was finally in sight, just a few blocks away. It was the tallest building in the area, so it wasn't that hard to spot. She was on her day off, one she earned from late nights at the office. She didn't want to be out of the office, though. She still had to work to get that promotion. But her boss, who actually had always been nothing but pleasant, made her take the extra vacation day. She had seen Spencer work her ass off day and night, helping with more cases than anyone else. Spencer deserved it. But of course she had planned to work from home, not wanting to be a step behind—even though she was already three steps ahead. That was why she had come to work in the morning, wanting to pick up some documents she needed. Spencer wasn't a workaholic or anything, she just wanted that promotion so bad. After she got it, she promised herself to try to loosen it up. Take all the days off she had. But for now, the word vacation wasn't even in her vocabulary.

The turn she was supposed to take to enter her apartment's parking space came up, but she passed it. At first she didn't know why. But to be frank, she just didn't want to say why. She drove on, entering the neighborhood of picturesque houses. She passed the friendly streets of homes, and approached the ones with shops and buildings. She pulled up by the curb of the most crowded building at this time of day, Rosewood Elementary. She opened a window, but it wasn't the one overlooking the school. She looked out across the street, at a shop with the words 'Cavanaugh Landscape Design Company' written on the front door in huge block letters.

Even from afar, she could see a man walking around in the shop. And if Toby hadn't changed from what she remembered of him three years ago, the man was definitely him. Spencer contemplated whether or not seeing him was something she needed right now. She knew that Aria suggested it half jokingly, but the idea stuck a chord in her. Besides, she genuinely wanted to see how he was these days. And okay, maybe she secretly hoped to get a glimpse of this so-called fiancé. Without another thought, Spencer turned off the car engine and got out. Once she did however, she realized she left her bag inside. She knew she should probably get it; her wallet, phone, and everything else were in there. What if she needed them? But she also knew that if she got back in the vehicle, she would never have the courage to step out again. And her phone's battery was dead anyway, so there really was no point in taking it. So instead, she locked the car with a beep and crossed the street.

She could clearly see the man inside now, a hundred percent sure that it was Toby. He didn't look that much different. He still had the same chiseled jaw and sandy brown hair. She could even see that he still maintained the same and maybe even better –if that's at all possible- toned body. She bet he still had those rock hard abs he used to be so proud of. Spencer knocked on the glass door, and Toby looked up at the sound of it. He was clearly surprised by her presence, his facial expression betraying everything. Spencer opened the door and poked her head in, as if she wouldn't be visible without doing so.

"Can I come in?" She asked in a friendly tone, a sweet smile plastered on her face. Toby seemed to be at lost for words, but he soon recovered from the shock of seeing his ex-girlfriend.

"Um, yeah. Of course," He got up from the chair he was sitting in, putting down the sketchpad he was using. He was standing behind a wooden table, one belonging to his assistant who had called in sick that morning. So instead of working at his own desk in the closed room at the back, Toby used the desk right in front of his office. This way he would know if there were any customers. Even though people usually called first, he didn't want to take any chances.

"Wow, you did it." Spencer looked around the shop. It was quite spacious, with displays of previous works on one side of the wall. There was a shelf on the other, filled with binders she assumed were records of everything. A round table filled the middle with three chairs around it. It was where customers could sit and discuss what they wanted, with Toby of course. There was a closed office at the back of the shop, and a table equipped with a computer in front of it. "You actually opened the landscape design company you've always wanted. This is great," Spencer said really meaning it. Toby had known what he wanted ever since when he was back in high school, and she knew how hard he worked to make his 'dream' come true. She was honestly happy for him.

"Thanks," Toby said, looking around the shop himself. Sometimes, he couldn't believe it either. He still remembered the day when he was still merely fantasizing about this exact shop like it was yesterday. "I ran into Aria the other day," he started to say. Spencer was now by the round table while Toby in front of the desk. "She said that you guys were back for good." Spencer nodded in confirmation. "She also said that she had a daughter?" his tone voiced an uncertainty, like he was asking if it was true. He actually waited for some kind of answer, as if Aria would lie about something like that.

"Yeah, her name's Abby." Talking about the little girl made Spencer smile, as if she was her own child. Technically, she _did_ raise her. And Aria would without a doubt stand by that statement. Hell, if anyone were going to say that, it would be Aria herself. "Well, Abigail actually. But everyone just calls her Abby."

"Talking about Aria, do you mind if I ask you something?" Spencer's only response was a curious look with furrowed eyebrows. Toby took this as a sign to go on. "After leaving her to go to work, I caught a glimpse of her with some guy." Spencer's whole facial expression changed, sensing where the conversation was headed. Toby was a bit worried to ask the question before, because he thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him. But now that Spencer was reacting to the topic, he was a bit more sure of what he saw. "Color me wrong, but was she kissing Mr. Fitz?" Spencer didn't say anything for a second, and Toby assumed that she was trying to recall the guy. Of course, that wasn't the case. "He was our high school AP Literature teacher. Do you remember? Slightly curly dark hair, used to carry around a messenger bag, and use a shirt-vest-tie combo."

"Yeah, I remember." Spencer didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure if Aria and Ezra were telling people that they were a couple yet, even though she knew for sure that they didn't want to hide anything. Even Ella didn't know about them yet. "Uh, I think you might want to ask Aria about that." This took Toby by surprise. She practically confirmed what he was asking about. Wanting to change the subject, Spencer cleared her throat before talking again. "So Aria told me you were engaged. Congratulations," At this, Toby couldn't help but smile.

"Her name's Lily and we've been together for two years. We actually opened this little company together around a year ago." Toby's eyes lighted up at the mention of his fiancé. "She handles the finances and all while I do the designs." He looked at her for a moment before asking, "What about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

"Yeah, kind of." She couldn't exactly say that she had a boyfriend or anything, since one date does not a relationship make. Especially with someone like Hardy. There was nothing wrong with him—and she meant _nothing_, he was anything but wrong in her eyes. But she knew that he wasn't the 'boyfriend' kind of guy. Aria had told her about his being a ladies' man and player, but she didn't care. It wasn't like she was really looking for something serious. On the other hand, she didn't want to just simply be one of his 'ladies' either. Then it hit her. What was she doing? She should just go get what she wanted. If being the only woman in Hardy's life was the only way for her to be in his life at all, then why not tell him? Spencer had never been the girl who was afraid to say what was on her mind. No one, especially not some charming smooth talking –and she had to admit incredibly hot- guy, should change that about her. "I mean yes, I have someone." A real smile was creeping onto her face.

"I'm happy for you," Toby said. It was weird how they could openly talk about being with other people without it being weird. It was like they were just two old friends catching up, and it felt great. Spencer really liked him as a friend. That _was_ how they started out. Maybe that was all they were ever meant to be.

**Like what one of you said, sexy ezria timeee! And no, what you read here wasn't the end of it. This is just the sort of opening, and necessary storyline involving Spencer. Anyways, hope you guys liked this chapter. Please please leave a review! I accept anything.**

**Once again, thank you for everything. Love you! xo**


	22. Walk of Shame

22. Walk of Shame

"_I'm happy for you," Toby said. It was weird how they could openly talk about being with other people without it being weird. It was like they were just two old friends catching up, and it felt great. Spencer really liked him as a friend. That was how they started out. Maybe that was all they were ever meant to be._

* * *

"Hmmm, not bad." Aria said after a bite of Ezra's cranberry pie. They had taken a little break from the previous make out session, things getting a little too hot to handle. Both knew that they wouldn't be able to stop if they kept going, and Aria really didn't want to go all the way after just one date. Ezra jokingly offered up that technically it was probably their hundredth date or something since they had had dates before, but Aria still insisted on stopping. The fact that they had only had one official date surprised Aria, so they decided to go out on another date next week. "I would never have believed that you could actually make a pie."

"Yeah well, I couldn't exactly live on spaghetti forever. Or as long as three years, for that matter." That particular pasta was all he could make, the last time they were together. And even then, it wasn't the best. "Besides, I didn't have your help in California so I had to learn to cook a few things." In the years that he was in California helpless without Aria, he had grown accustomed to sandwiches, pasta, and for some reason pie. Pie really wasn't the easiest thing to make, but he didn't know that. It was the first recipe he saw on the Internet and he just went for it. Ezra didn't feel like learning to make something else, so he stuck with pie and made one over and over again every time he had a craving for something sweet. Eventually, the taste got better or at least edible. "I tastes better when it's fresh, I swear." They had only re-heated a pie from the fridge that Ezra made a couple of days ago.

"You should make another one soon, then. _Maybe_ I'll come over again," Aria teased after swallowing.

"Maybe?" Ezra repeated, getting a shrug from Aria. "I think I have a way of making sure you do come back," he pulled Aria's legs, which were rested on his lap, so that she slid closer to him. He leaned in and gave her the softest kiss, one that left her weak in the knees. Aria opened her eyes slowly once she felt the absence of his warmth on her.

"I'm close to a yes," Aria let out a light giggle. She leaned back until she was fully on her back and continued finished the rest of her piece of pie. "So, I've been thinking. Since Abby's started school, we're probably going to have to add more to the account where we keep the money for her school. You know, to save up for the future like elementary, junior high, and so on." Ezra agreed with a nod. "And I was actually thinking of picking up tutoring for literature, what do you think?" Aria was actually excited about this. She hadn't _really_ meant it when she told Ezra that she'd also like to teach that first time they met at Snooker's, but the idea crossed her mind a lot after that. And knowing that she needs some kind of income, she thought tutoring would be the best job for her since she would be able to work around her Hollis classes' schedule.

"That sounds great," Ezra was surprised that she wanted to tutor. He knew that she was very capable of doing so, but the thought just never occurred to him. "But Aria, if this is about needing money-"

"What? No, it's not that at all. I mean I could really use it but it's not like I have problems now or anything." Aria quickly jumped in. She just didn't want to be living off of Spencer even though her friend didn't mind at all. Spencer was actually pretty wealthy.

"It's just that you can come to me for financial help anytime. Both concerning Abby, or otherwise." Ezra had noticed the fact that she didn't have any sort of earnings, since she had to take care of Abby 24/7. Aria set down her now empty plate on the table and sat up, taking Ezra's hands in her own.

"Thank you, but I don't have any problems at all." Ezra looked hesitant, but she held his stare and he finally gave up. "The reason I brought this up is because I was wondering if you could maybe suggest me to your students?" Aria said in doubtful tone.

"In Rosewood High?" Ezra asked with raised eyebrows. Aria simply nodded with a nervous grin. "Okay, but how? Won't they know it's you? The current senior class knows you from when you were there," he reminded her. "And what do I say if they ask how I know you tutor?" Aria didn't have an answer for this. He couldn't lie, because people are going to know about them eventually. And when they do, they would know that Ezra lied. "Aria, you know that we do have to start telling people that we're together _and_ that we have a daughter pretty soon, right?" Aria only whispered a soft 'I know' while looking down at her hands. Ezra knew that she was afraid of that. And he understood. He wasn't a fan of small town gossip himself, let alone becoming one. But they couldn't escape telling people, so he thought that the sooner the better.

"You're right. Maybe we just have to start telling people," Aria sighed. She decided to just get it over with. Like ripping a band-aid off. But somehow that wasn't exactly how she would describe it. It felt more like opening a can of worms.

"The teachers have a gathering next Friday. It's sort of a back to school thing, but for teachers. What do you say you go with me?" Ezra thought this was a great idea. They would just be open about their relationship, so people wouldn't be able to start rumors. The best way to not seem like you're hiding something is to actually show the whole world. And teachers who knew Aria from when she was a student seemed just as big of a deal.

"So you want me to make nice with a bunch of my ex-teachers as your date, telling them that we are in a relationship involving _our_ three-year old daughter." Aria on the other hand, had other thoughts on the subject. "No." Ezra was just about to protest when she spoke up. "Ezra, forget it. The second we mention Abby's age, they'll do the math and you'll get in trouble."

"Abby wasn't conceived until _after_ you were in New York. Just say that we started seeing each other after you graduated." Aria still didn't look like she was on board. "Look if we start with teachers, then other people won't do something stupid like report us to the school for having an affair because the teachers will think they already now the story. It's just better if they hear it from us. _And_ it won't look like I'm covering something up."

"Okay theoretically, what you're saying makes sense. But I just don't know how they'll react. And having to be there face to face when they do, I don't know if I can handle it." Aria was terrified of the fallout. She knew it wouldn't be pretty and if she had the choice, she wouldn't want to witness it. But she couldn't say that what Ezra was saying wasn't true either. This was the leap they needed to take. It's just that it seemed that he wasn't thinking about the repercussions for himself. He could get in serious trouble.

"Aria, we need to do this." Ezra knew he was right. She knew he was right.

"Fine, Friday it is." Aria slumped back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling. She was a nervous wreck, and it was written all over her face.

"Everything will be fine, I promise. He softly rubbed Aria's legs, trying to calm her down. He was freaking out himself, but only one of them could do that at once. So he kept his worries to himself. "I'll be right there with you."

"Yeah, and we'll _both_ get in trouble." Other than the gossip she knew would arise, the only thing occupying her mind was how risky it was for Ezra's position in Rosewood High. The revelation of their student-teacher affair would not only get him fired, but also take away his teaching license. She couldn't do that to him.

"What if… For our date next week, I take you to that vegan restaurant you've always wanted to try?" Aria knew that Ezra was going to try to soothe her, but she knew that it wasn't going to work that well. An offer to go to the vegan restaurant he never wanted to eat in however, might do the trick. Ezra could already see the smile creeping onto her face. She couldn't help but let it spread, biting her bottom lip to prevent it from turning into a goofy grin. "I knew that would work," Ezra laughed.

"Shut up," Aria joined his laughing. "What about Tuesday?"

"Sounds good to me. Oh, I actually have an idea. What if you just put up flyers in Rosewood High about your tutoring? A lot of students actually check the information boards for things like that. Trust me, they need it. Let's just say that there aren't more than just one or two Spencers now." It sounded mean but with the absence of any Hastings in the local high school, only a couple of students were on the honor roll. "I can put them up for you."

"Really? Thanks," Aria brightened up. "I'll give them to you Tuesday." She rested her hands on her stomach, feeling way too full. "I don't think I can eat dinner after your pie."

"Admit it, it tasted amazing." Aria shrugged, acting nonchalant. Ezra then surprisingly pulled her up by the arms, crashing his lips onto hers. They savored each other for a few beats before breaking apart. "What about now?"

"It tasted amazing," Aria agreed, giggling. She repositioned herself to sit on his lap, and continued the already heated kiss. She wanted to stay the night so bad, but she didn't know if she was ready yet. The last time they was so intimate, Abby happened. Besides, mentioning this again, they had only been on no more than one single date. She had _some_ class.

Aria was now straddling her boyfriend, feverishly kissing him on the mouth. She knew she shouldn't, but her hands were starting to pull up Ezra's shirt and roam around under it. She could feel the outlines of his abs; definitely way more toned than the last time she had seen them. One of Ezra's hands was on her neck, messing up her hair and guiding both their movements. The other was fiddling with the hem of her shirt but only merely touching a small area over and over again, drawing soft circles on it. The simple act honestly drove her crazy, clearly proven with her deepening the kiss even more.

They both pulled away for a second, catching their breaths. Ezra looked deep into her hazel orbs, getting lost in them. It was one of his favorite things about her. One that he had missed very much. Slowly, his eyes left the lustful look and fell onto her mouth, plump and slightly open to catch her breath. He gave them a soft peck, not being able to resist. They were practically calling him. He leaned back to give them some space before going back for more, but only nibbling Aria's bottom lip. This too, drove her wild. After only a second, she vigorously kissed him back and let her tongue play with his. Ezra could still taste cranberry.

The ringing of her phone interrupted them, but she mumbled an 'ignore it'. She was far too turned on to stop now. She knew she had decided not to do anything tonight with Ezra but her body was urging her to do otherwise. No, it was _begging_ her. But after only less than a minute, her phone rang again.

"I think you should get that. It might be important," Ezra said, pulling away. Aria turned a deaf ear to both the ringing and Ezra's suggestion, closing the gap between them. But before she could even touch his lips with hers, Ezra spoke again. "Aria…"

"Fine," she grunted and reached out to the table behind her for the annoyingly ringing phone. She felt like throwing it out the window. _Why_ did it have to ring? Without checking the caller ID, she clicked answer and put the mobile to her ear. "Hello," she greeted coldly.

"Hey," It was Mike, oblivious to Aria's frigid tone. "Where are you? I'm at the loft and I can't get in."

"Oh," Aria lost the unfriendly voice once she recognized it her brother on the other line. Somehow she could never be so mad with him for the little things like this. "I'm still at Ezra's."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Mike sounded like he was about to just hang up and talk to her later, but Aria stopped him. She didn't want him to just assume that they were doing… well actually exactly what they were doing.

"No, it's okay. We were just-" Aria realized that she was still straddling Ezra, so she moved off of his lap and onto the empty seat beside him. "We were just eating," Aria quickly said, her eyes finding the empty plate she had used earlier for the pie, that still sat on the table. "How can you not get in? Isn't Spencer there?"

"No, I already called her and she said she isn't home. Are you still in the middle of something? Cause I kind of don't have anywhere else to go. Brian and Alexa aren't in town," he said a little bit desperately. Brian and Alexa were his friends in Rosewood, but they had gone on a vacation to London together. Mike had a feeling that something happened between them while he was in California, but didn't have the gut to ask.

"You know what, I'll be right there." It was already dark outside, so she had to go home anyway. Before Mike could say that he didn't want to cut her time at Ezra's place short, Aria interrupted. "Just stay put. I'll be there soon. Bye." She straightly hung up and sliped the iPhone into her pocket. "Ezra, Mike's waiting for me at the loft. Can you maybe drive me there?" She just remembered that Spencer had dropped her off, so she didn't have a car to drive home in.

"Of course, come on." Ezra led the way out, grabbing his car keys by the door.

* * *

"Do you really have to go?" They had arrived at Aria's apartment building, and Ezra wouldn't let her out of the car. He wanted them to have more time alone, back in his apartment just like old times. The last time they hung out in his cozy little apartment other than tonight felt like a lifetime ago. And it was.

"Ezra, I'm already at my place." Aria couldn't help but laugh. He was acting ridiculous, the kind that she liked. As much as she wanted to stay with him and talk -yes, only talk- till the sun comes up, her brother was probably waiting on her doorstep right this second. "Hey, are you coming to drop Abby off at Rosewood Preschool with me?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Ezra confirmed.

"Okay, well I have to go." Aria gave him a quick kiss and reluctantly got out of the car. She walked around it to Ezra's open window. "Feel free to come by anytime," she said before giving him a lingering kiss.

"After that, I think I might have to." Ezra remarked. He really wished Aria hadn't kissed him like that right before she had to leave. Well actually he wished she didn't have to leave at all. But he didn't not want to have that kiss. And he knew Aria _had_ to go. So he watched her disappear into the tall salmon colored building before driving away into the dark night, the road illuminated with flashing store signs and streetlights.

Aria got to her floor and found Mike sitting on her doorstep, using the spotless doormat as a rug. He had looked so exhausted, needing as much sleep as possible. She quickly opened the door and led him in. "How were Byron and Mel?" Aria asked as she closed the door behind her. Mel was Byron's fiancé, a nice lady Aria had actually grown to like. The loft was empty, no Spencer in sight, just like Mike had said.

"They were good, asked about you. Do you know that they pushed back the wedding date _again_?" Byron and Mel had planned to have the wedding at the beginning of this year, but then they pushed it back to the end of the year. Then Aria had been told that it was now going to be next year. She really hoped everything was all right.

"Yeah, I think Byron told me." Aria was about to take off her scarf, but then remembered that she had used it to cover the hickey Ezra had given her so she kept it on. Instead, she walked over to the coffee maker and brewed herself a pot. On the way up the elevator, she had texted Spencer and gotten no reply. She wanted to wait up for her friend to make sure that she gets home fine. That girl really shouldn't be working late so much.

"Why are you drinking coffee at night?" Mike asked with furrowed eyebrows. Sometimes he really was worried about his sister. Caffeine was never meant to be drunk as much as it does by Aria. Much less by Spencer.

"I think I'm going to wait up for Spencer, I'm a bit worried about her." Mike nodded and headed to Abby's room, where he was sleeping for the night while Abby was at Byron's. He mumbled a 'Night' before closing the door behind him. Aria grabbed her cup of coffee and got settled on the couch, grabbing her laptop and placing it on her lap. She figured she could make the flyers while waiting for Spencer.

After a few hours of making her flyers and printing them, Spencer still wasn't home. Aria grabbed a book and curled up with it on her couch, figuring that her roommate had to come home pretty soon since it was already almost midnight. However, she was dead wrong. Aria drifted off to sleep in a matter of minutes, not awake to worry about Spencer's absence. It was five thirty in the morning when Aria woke up to the sound of jingling keys. She still laid on the couch, her book now on the ground. It must have fallen some time in the night. She picked it up and placed it on the table, before checking the time. Five thirty in the morning. She grunted, wanting to go back to sleep, when she heard the jingling keys again. Then the door opened, a very tired looking Spencer walking in.

"Spencer? You just got home?" Aria just remembered that she was supposed to stay up to wait for her friend.

"Um, wh-why are you up so early?" Spencer had that look on her face like she was caught doing something wrong. She stared at Aria, who clearly had fallen asleep on their couch. "And on the couch?"

"I was waiting up for you. You weren't home until midnight! I was worried. It's 5:30 a.m., why are you just getting home?" Spencer seemed to be trying to come up with something, but she just kept opening her mouth and shutting it again. A few silent beats passed, before Aria put two and two together and gasped. "Oh my god were you- did you- no!" Spencer just stood there biting her bottom lip, with yesterday's clothes on and her heels in hand. "How did this happen?"

"Well, I went to see Toby today. Then I walked out of his shop thinking about Hardy. I guess somehow I ended up at his place." Spencer was hesitant to continue, but Aria's wide stare was enough to make her spill. She sighed as she sat down next to Aria on the couch, who had made room by sitting cross leged. "I couldn't get what you said about him being a player out of my head, so I wanted to tell him that I didn't want to be one of his many girl 'friends'." She didn't say girlfriend, since she was sure that Hardy had none of those. "I walked in his apartment thinking that he would never be fine with a relationship with one woman, but I was wrong. He said that he understood and would really like to see where this can go. And then he offered some dinner so we ate. At first we were just talking but I guess one thing led to another…" She let the sentence hang in mid-air.

"You have to tell me everything!" Aria was beyond excited for her friend.

"What? No! I'm not going to tell you all the gory details," Spencer said, bursting into laughter with Aria.

"I'm happy for you," Aria hugged Spencer. "Hey, now we both have someone."

"Yeah, I guess we do." Spencer let the statement sink for a while. She couldn't believe Hardy actually liked her enough to be with her and _only_ her. It wasn't something he was used to. Aria and Spencer broke apart, yawning. "Coffee?"

"Sounds good to me," Aria grabbed her mug and walked over to the kitchen with Spencer in tow. There was still some left in the pot so she just poured that. "What about a little splash of something stronger to celebrate?" Aria asked, holding up a bottle of gin she grabbed from the liquor cabinet.

"Maybe more than a splash," Spencer laughed, her eyes brightening up at the sight of alcohol. Aria mixed some gin into their coffees, and they both held up their own mugs. "To us, and our special someone."

"I'll drink to that."

**Tell me what you guys think of this chapter! ****Spencer gets cozy with her guy, while **Ezra and Aria are going to finally tell people about their relationship and the fact that they have a daughter... What do you think the fallout of their revelation will be? 

**Anyways, thank you so much for reviewing and follow/favorites. This story's reviews just hit a hundred and I cant thank you all enough! it means a lot to me, really. Please keep them coming! **

**Reply to Ariaandezra2x24: Thank you so much for the amazing review, I'm glad you liked my story!**

**Reply to UngluckLiebhaber: Thanks for the awesome review! Sorry about the car seat, I don't have a kid and am pretty clueless on the subject so I apologize for that mistake and any other (including the fact that she is very articulate). Please excuse any more errors on the matter... Oops**

**That's all for now, love you all xoxo**


	23. I Solemnly Swear

23. I Solemnly Swear

_Aria mixed some gin into their coffees, and they both held up their own mugs. "To us, and our special someone."_

"_I'll drink to that."_

* * *

"I am so full, but that was so fucking good." Mike said after his last bite of breakfast. Just less than an hour ago, blueberry pancakes that Spencer only made on special occasions were stacked on the now empty huge oval plate they used whenever there were guests over. Today, there were Ezra, Hardy, and Mike keeping the two women company. Ezra had come early this morning so he could drop Abby off at her preschool on her first day, with Aria. His first class today, which is Monday, was not until 11 a.m. so it wasn't a problem. Mike seemed to have gotten used to having Ezra around since he was in the loft both Saturday and Sunday to spend time with his daughter. Mike could finally see that Ezra really cared about Abby and Aria. Hardy on the other hand, had come in with Spencer this morning at six. She had spent last night at his place for the second time, after their first last Thursday night. Hardy had told Ezra about him and Spencer, sounding giddy. Ezra had never heard him like that before.

"You never could resist my blueberry pancakes," Spencer said proudly. Aria was sitting next to Ezra on the couch for two, while Mike was next to her on the single couch. Spencer was on the other single couch next to Ezra, with Hardy. The two looked cozy in the tight space, Spencer practically sitting on his lap. The little girl who had her first day of school later at nine however, was still in her room. She had gotten a new outfit for her first day, and now probably twirling in them in front of the mirror. She had gotten her breakfast earlier in the morning.

"I wouldn't blame him," Hardy chimed in. "These pancakes are almost as irresistible as the lady who cooks them," he referred to Spencer and went in for a kiss, which she gladly returned. And this wasn't just some quick peck. They would probably have gone at it right there and then if Aria hadn't interrupted.

"Oh no no no, none of that in here. You guys keep it at his place, okay?" Aria stopped them. Hardy and Spencer finally broke apart, softly laughing. Ezra couldn't believe what he was seeing. His best friend was actually kissing Spencer Hastings. And they were doing things he didn't even want to think about. Spencer, his former student. Spencer, Aria's friend. Spencer, whom Ella thought had been involved with him all those many ears ago. Aria had told him about Ella's suspicion, which made Ezra laugh.

"Yeah, I don't wanna see this. Spencer's like my sister," Mike said. She was a sister to him, since he was close with her almost as much as he was with Aria. Almost.

"Oh please, like you're not screwing mine." Hardy remarked jokingly, referring Savanna. Somewhere between six o'clock this morning and now, the two seemed to have bonded. And apparently the subject of Savanna was okay to bring up.

"I'm not! We're just friends," Mike said trying to sound calm, but he was clearly blushing. No one in the room bought what he said. And he knew it. "Believe what you want, nothing is going onbetween Savanna and I." As soon as he said so, his phone rang from the table. Aria, being next to him, could clearly read the caller ID. Savanna.

"Speak of the devil," She smirked. "Now why would she be calling you when it's like… 5:30 a.m. in California?"

"Because she's still all messed up about… you know, whatever happened." Mike was talking about what Hardy did to her, the thing that he wouldn't talk about. And neither would anyone else, including Ezra and Savanna herself.

"And you're the first person she calls?" Spencer asked, sounding skeptical. "Come on Mike, it's so obvious."

"If you would excuse me, I have a call." He backed out of the conversation before it could get out of hand. He was already losing anyway. The truth is that he wasn't 'screwing' Savanna, as Hardy had put it. But there wasn't exactly nothing going on between them either. Just the week before he got to Rosewood, they had kissed. And it didn't end there. One second they were in front of the TV, and the next on the bed. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened next. Everything was just fine with the two until the next morning, when he found Savanna crying in her apartment. She was obviously drunk, rambling on about something that had to do with her brother. She kept shoving Mike his picture, Hardy. He had wanted to stay to take care of her and get to the bottom of things, but his ticket to Rosewood wasn't refundable. Thankfully Savanna's friend Zoe was by her bedside 24/7, so Mike left Hardy's sister with her best friend and flew to Rosewood. The last thing he thought to find was Hardy standing on his sister's doorstep.

He and Savanna never got to talk about what happened between them and what it meant. They couldn't talk about it, not with Savanna slurring her words and crying. Mike got up and went to the kitchen to get some privacy.

"It's official. Your brother is doing my sister," Hardy said playfully to Aria with a sigh.

"They grow up so fast. Next thing you know, they're going to have kids of their own." Aria sighed with him.

"Talking about kids, don't you have to go to Abby's preschool by now?" Spencer asked Aria and Ezra, looking up at the clock on the wall.

"Oh, right! We better go."

Aria, Ezra, and Abby drove to Rosewood preschool in Ezra's car, then went straightly to the administration office once they got there because they didn't know where Abby's classroom was. Ken -Denise wasn't in today, thank god- led them to the classroom before leaving for another parent who was also new.

"You be a good girl, okay?" Aria told her daughter, who nodded. They were now in front of Abby's classroom, along with some families whose children were also having their first day of school. By the looks of it, Abby wasn't the only one late a week to start school. "Before you know it, I'll already be picking you up." Abby was excited, while Aria was just downright plain worried. Even with the excellent security system, the idea of leaving Abby still didn't agree with her.

"I'll be fine, mommy." Abby seemed to have picked up on how worried her mother was, which caused both Aria and Ezra to laugh.

"See? She'll be fine," Ezra tried to calm Aria down. He bent down next to Aria to match Abby's height. "In fact, let me tell you something. Remember that time when I promised to get you ice cream but we couldn't because you were at Grams'?" Abby nodded vigorously, brightening up at the mention of the sweet dessert. "When you get out of school today, I'll have a chocolate ice cream for you."

"Ezra!" Aria scolded, not wanting to spoil her daughter. Besides, he had been giving her way too many unhealthy foods ever since that time he fed her snacks from the vending machine.

"It's her first day!" It was the perfect excuse, and Ezra knew it. Aria gave up in an instant, earning a hug from the three year old.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" She repeatedly yelled in Aria's ear as they hugged, while at the same time jumping up and down in joy.

"But no more in a whole week," Aria said. Abby nodded in a promise, a goofy grin on her face. Aria was glad Spencer hadn't made the pancakes with a side of ice cream today, or else she would never have allowed this. A blonde woman in a pencil skirt then walked out of the classroom, announcing that class will start shortly. "Okay, have a great time in there. Make friends," Aria kissed her daughter goodbye on the cheek.

"Eat lunch with the others, okay?" Ezra said before giving the little girl a kiss on the forehead. Lunch was provided by the school, something Aria was relieved about. The blonde woman was back in front of the classroom, and started to introduce herself to the new parents. Her name was Emily Lynch and was the teacher for Abby's class, which apparently was called Apple Room. She led the students inside, and the hallway slowly emptied out. Abby waved at both her parents, while she walked away and entered the classroom.

"Maybe I should just wait for her," Aria said once the children were gone. She sat on a bench by the classroom door, crossing her legs.

"Until 4 p.m.?" Ezra laughed. Aria just shrugged. He took her hands in his. "Look, everything's going to be fine. We'll pick her up before you know it, you said so yourself."

"What if, god forbid, something happens before 4 p.m.?" Aria quickly said. She didn't know that something as simple as leaving her daughter for school could be this hard. She remembered Ella telling her about how she didn't want to let Aria go on her first day, and thinking that it was ridiculous. Now she knew how it feelt. It was a maternal thing, another of the things that Aria herself was still learning about as she experienced them.

"Like what?" Ezra raised his eyebrows. He wanted Abby to be safe, but there really wasn't so much to worry about. Rosewood Preschool seemed like a perfectly secured building. Aria opened her mouth to answer him but then closed it again, not being able to come up with anything. Just a second ago every worst-case-scenario was playing in her head, and now none came to mind. Stupid brain.

Suddenly the previously self-introduced Emily Lynch stepped put of the classroom and approached her. "Hi, is everything alright?" She noticed the hallway being empty except for a couple of parents, them being Aria and Ezra.

"She's just a little nervous about leaving our daughter, Abby, at school for the first time," Ezra answered politely.

"Cautious," Aria cut in, standing up. "I'm being cautious." She shot Ezra a look. Ms. Lynch smiled, looking like she wanted to laugh. This kind of thing happened all the time, and she was very used to it.

"That's okay," Ms. Lynch assured Aria. "A lot of parents are... cautious at first. But we guarantee that Abby will be fine." Aria blushed shyly, slightly embarrassed at how she was acting. "I am, however, sorry to tell you that it is not recommended for parents to stay and wait for their child on the first day. We prefer for the children to get used to not having their parents around."

"But what if- I just-" Aria sighed. "I mean, I won't bother you or anything."

"I'm sorry, this applies to everybody." The way Abby's teacher said what she did sounded sincere that Aria couldn't argue. She wanted to be around for Abby if she needed anything but Aria also knew that what Ms. Lynch was saying made perfect sense.

"I guess I'll see her later at four," Aria said quietly.

"I promise your daughter will be in excellent care," Ms. Lynch tried to make her feel better once more.

"Thank you," Ezra said, putting his hand on the small of Aria's back to guide her away. She slowly turned around and walked towards the huge doors leading outside. "Hey, Abby will have a blast. Okay?" Ezra said gently. As they walked, he held Aria's hand and stroke it back and forth to calm her down.

"Okay," Aria said shortly, looking back at Apple Room one last time before stepping out of the building with Ezra in tow.

* * *

"We will be discussing more about Atticus's parenting style and his relationship with his children in our next class, so think about that." Ezra said, ending his class. Only exactly a second passed, before the bell rang and the classroom was empty of students. He was just about to get settled in his chair and grade some quizzes that he had given out to make sure that the students were really reading the book, when someone knocked on his open door. To his surprise, it was Ella. He quickly stood up, accidentally knocking his knee to the edge of the desk because he didn't slide his chair backwards first. He bit his lip, trying to ignore the pain. Instead, he focused on his girlfriend's mother who was standing just a few feet away from him. The tiny woman terrified him.

"Ezra," Ella greeted. Aria had told her everything about Ezra being back and him bonding with Abby just two days ago. She had been a bit disappointed that Aria only told her about this after three weeks, but she understood. It wasn't something you could just drop in a conversation about the weather.

"Ms. Montgomery, hi." Ezra didn't know why he was being so formal; he knew that even Aria called her Ella. But he was incredibly anxious right now, so he could barely even form a coherent sentence. Aria had told him that Ella knew he was in town, but it still didn't help with how tense he was. "Please, have a seat- well um, we only have these tables and chairs for students," he let out a nervous chuckle.

"I know, I used to work here remember?" Ella couldn't help but smile at how apprehensive Ezra acted. "We used to be co-workers." It was probably touchy to bring up, since it might seem as some kind of a betrayal that Ezra was seeing her daughter the whole time. But Ella had had a few years on her hands to calm down and she really had no anger left. She just wanted to make sure that Ezra wasn't falling off of the face of the earth this time. That Aria could really depend on him.

"Right." Ezra didn't know what to say. I'm sorry? The truth was, he wasn't sorry at all. Yes, he was sorry that he had to hide the fact that he was seeing Aria. But he wasn't sorry that he met her that day at the bar. He wasn't sorry that they got together. He wasn't sorry that he pursued their relationship even though everything and everyone else were telling him otherwise. "How are you?"

"I'm good. I sell paintings now. Not my own, though." Ella walked further into the room, but still stood fairly close to the door. "How are things with you?"

"Couldn't be better." For some reason, Ezra couldn't think of anything else to say. But he knew Ella had more on her mind than his well being. And she wasn't someone who would be scared to find out what she wanted to know, so he waited for her to speak instead.

"Aria told me you were writing in California." Ezra answered with a simple nod. "Mike was in California."

"Yeah, UCLA right? He's staying with Aria right now, have you seen him?" Ezra wondered why Mike hadn't stayed with Ella or Byron. Then the realization hit him. Maybe he didn't want his parents to know that he was in town. What if the point of staying with Aria was so that he could avoid his parents, and Ezra just ruined everything by telling Ella?

The older woman saw the panic in his eyes and quickly said, "He came over to my place and Zack's yesterday. That's my boyfriend."

"Yes, Aria told me about you guys." Ezra didn't want to bring up the divorce, so he kept his mouth shut after that. He tends to say stupid things when he's nervous. He knew that Byron was getting married next year, and it was probably best that he didn't mention that either.

"I know what you're thinking, but I'm not getting married." Ezra's thoughts were written all over his face. "To be honest I'm not the perfect family with a picket fenced house kind of person, despite the fact that I'm living in Rosewood. That was always Byron's thing." Ezra nodded again. He figured as much. Ella was more like Aria, a little eclectic. But Aria actually picked up a few things from her father, wanting the whole family package with marriage and a kid. Well, she's halfway there. "So, are you planning to go back to California?" Ella asked. Now Ezra knew what Ella wanted to know. She wanted to know if he was going to leave. If he was going to leave Aria. And Abby. Like last time.

"No, I'm planning on staying in Rosewood. It was my plan all along, even before bumping into Aria." He wanted to make this crystal clear. He wasn't going anywhere if Aria and Abby weren't there. It had only been three weeks, but he couldn't imagine his future without them. The thought broke his heart.

"Good. That's very good." Ella gave him a warm smile. She had always liked the guy, and likewise. They both got along pretty well back in the days of the old Rosewood High where Hastings and Kahns still existed. He hadn't thought about the Kahn boys in a while. He hated them. He wondered how they were doing nowadays. Probably somewhere spending their parents' money. There are those rich people who actually appreciated what they have, and then there are Kahns who don't. "I think I better go, I wanted to go say hi to a few other teachers before leaving. It's nice to see you, Ezra."

"Pleasure's mine." Ella turned around and walked out, but Ezra stopped her before she could leave. "Ms. Montgomery," he took a few steps towards the door.

"Please, call me Ella. It's always been Ella. I don't see a reason why that should change," her tone had gone softer from when she first knocked on his door.

"Ella," he started. "I just want you to know that I really care about Aria and Abby. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for them before. I really am. But I'll make up for that every single day. I _promise_ I'm trying my best. I swear," he said, almost desperately.

"I know you are. I can see it in your eyes." Ella smiled once more before leaving, her footsteps light on the marble floors. Ezra got back in his seat and was about to start grading papers when he saw that it was already three o'clock. Students were out in the hall, chatting with their friends before leaving for home. He packed his messenger bag and shouldered his way through the crowd, wanting to get out of there. He didn't want to be late picking up Abby. He still had to pick Aria up on his way. And he needed to get that chocolate ice cream he promised he would have by the time Abby gets out of preschool. He had promised his little girl. And he kept his promises.

**Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter! I also would like to know what you want to see happen. I already know where this story is going, but I'd love to fit your ideas in somehow! As always, thanks for reading/review/follow/favorites. I really appreciate them, so don't ever stop! Love you all**

**Reply to lettherebelove0721: Your review made my day! Thank you so much, I hope I won't get off your bookmarks anytime soon xo**

**p.s. I know I use a lot of exclamation points in my author's note but I can't help it! Hahha, there it is again...**


	24. What Double Dates Really Lead Up To

24. What Double Dates Really Lead Up To

_Students were out in the hall, chatting with their friends before leaving for home. He packed his messenger bag and shouldered his way through the crowd, wanting to get out of there. He didn't want to be late picking up Abby. He still had to pick Aria up on his way. And he needed to get that chocolate ice cream he promised he would have by the time Abby gets out of preschool. He had promised his little girl. And he kept his promises._

* * *

"What happened to the heat wave?" Spencer grunted, finally reaching the front doors of Rosewood Preschool. She took shelter under the roof and folded her umbrella into a small cylinder, before dropping it into a plastic bag Aria was carrying so that it wouldn't drip. Aria's leopard patterned one was already inside.

It had been raining heavily since this afternoon, the exact opposite of the last couple of scorching hot weeks. It was as if mother nature had pooled all the water for fourteen days, and was now mercilessly pouring them onto Rosewood. Like one of those giant buckets in water parks that would fill up with water for what would always seem like forever, and then finally dump everything at once. While Spencer cursed the rain as she wiped her knee-high boots on the long blue welcome mat, Aria watched the rain hitting the pavement violently. Unlike her friend, she was glad for the weather. It wasn't because it had been way too hot lately. For some reason, she had always absolutely loved it when it rained. The sound of rain colliding with the ground was music to her ears. She could curl up in her favorite sweater with a cup of hot chocolate and read the book that had gathered dust on her shelf. She could dim the lights and force herself into watching a bunch of Hitchcock movies.

And of course, everything looked more romantic in the rain—to her at least. But she may be biased on that matter. All she knew was it was always romantic for _her and Ezra_. That time he rescued her from the pouring rain back in high school and helped her 'warm up'. That time Ezra had his last day at Rosewood High School, she had run into his arms in the parking lot that was still damp and covered in puddles—the rain had just stopped. She could go on forever listing these things; she hadn't forgotten any of them.

"Hello? Earth to Aria," Spencer waved a hand in front of Aria's dazed face. She had been goofily smiling by herself, looking out at nothing in particular. The sight of a hand swiping back and forth got her attention, though. "The bell just rung, we've got to go find Abby." They were there to pick her up, arriving two minutes after four.

Spencer and her coworkers had been sent home at one, due to electrical problems because of the rain. She picked up Aria from the loft and dragged her to Rosewood Mall, knowing that the woman had a date tonight. They had literally shopped 'til they dropped, hitting all the shops. Apparently there were a lot of stores having sales, something about back to school season. Somewhere between trying on a pair of red pumps and gulping down a cup of coffee however, they suddenly came up with what they thought was a brilliant idea: a double date. Aria had immediately called Ezra, wanting to do it tonight. He had reluctantly agreed, thinking that at least then they didn't have to go to the vegan restaurant. He was wrong. Aria still insisted on eating there. She told Ezra to tell Hardy, knowing that Spencer's boyfriend was actually having lunch with him at that exact moment. Hardy couldn't say no either. Not to the double date. Not to the vegan restaurant. Aria had _really_ wanted to eat there.

Aria and Spencer stepped into the crowded hallway filled with parents and children. A lot of them were already headed outside, but some still hung around. Aria spotted Abby by Ms. Lynch and was about to head their way when Spencer caught her by the arm.

"Aria, who's that?" Spencer's eyes were wide, directed at Ms. Lynch. Her grip was strong, preventing Aria from taking another step. Her face, once Aria turned around to face her, was pale.

"That's Ms. Lynch, Abby's teacher," Aria said slowly with furrowed eyebrows. "Spencer, what's wrong?"

"That's Toby's fiancé," Spencer said in the softest voice she could muster, as if the woman they were talking about could hear them from far down the hall. "I saw her picture with Toby at his shop, it's definitely her."

"That's not possible, her name's Emily Lynch. Isn't Toby's fiancé Lily?" Aria said in the same hushed tone. Spencer simply shrugged. She knew nothing about _that_, but one thing she knew for sure was that Ms. Lynch was the woman Toby was hugging in the picture at his shop. "Why don't we ask her?" Aria suddenly said out of the blue. A smile now replaced her confused look, but protest replaced Spencer's.

"What?! You can't just ask something like that out of nowhere!" Aria shrugged a 'Why not?' and turned to walk towards Abby and her teacher. Before Spencer could stop her again, Aria was already too far to reach. "Aria, get back here!" she hissed, ignored. All she could do was follow, which she did.

"Hey sweetie, how was you second day?" Aria asked once she reached Abby.

"Ms. Lynch read us a book called 'What Sisters Do Best' and we got pudding with lunch!" Abby said happily, the same way Aria would say 'I got a million dollar prize'.

"Wow, sounds like a great day!" Aria responded. "Look who came to pick you up today," she looked back at Spencer who was finally catching up. Abby's grin grew wider at the sight of her godmother. "Ms. Lynch, this is Spencer Hastings. She lives with Abby and I. She might pick up Abby now and then."

"It's nice to meet you," she greeted Spencer, who said the same thing back.

"Actually, this might sound weird but do you by any chance know Toby Cavanaugh? He owns the landscape design company across the street," she asked, somehow stating the question innocently. Spencer kept her mouth shut, scared that she might blurt something out that she would regret.

"Funny you should mention that," Ms. Lynch grinned. "Toby's my fiancé. I own the company with him," she confirmed what Spencer had told Aria.

"You don't say," Aria raised her eyebrows. "We're friends of his from high school. I met him last week and for some reason he said your name was Lily…" Aria said in a questioning tone.

"Yeah, some people just call me Lily. But he just calls me that when there's someone else in the room named Emily," She quickly explained.

"Oh yeah, we have a friend named Emily. Maybe that's why," Spencer finally spoke up. The fact that Emily –their Emily, Emily Fields- had a sort of history with Toby suddenly popped up in her head. She didn't know whether or not to find it creepy that Toby ended up engaged to someone named Emily. Hung up much? The truth was it was all a coincidence and Spencer knew it, but she couldn't wait to tell Emily. Fields, she meant.

"Makes sense," Lily said. "Were you guys close?" She asked Spencer, referring to the two of them and Toby.

"Um yeah, you could say that." Spencer didn't know how to bring up the fact that she used to date the guy. She decided to leave the topic alone, and change the subject. "Anyways, we have to go. It's great to meet you." She picked Abby up and quickly walked away, not wanting to discuss more of how 'close' she and Toby were with his fiancé. Aria knew Spencer didn't mean to be rude, but it came off otherwise.

"I'll see you tomorrow Ms. Lynch," Aria said politely before following Spencer out and getting a 'see you' from the teacher, who was very confused of how Spencer acted.

* * *

"We have a reservation for four people under the name Fitz," Ezra told the woman by the open wooden doors. The 'little vegan place' Aria had been eyeing was apparently not so little. In fact, it was quite a hit. There was a long queue of people waiting to be seated. Ezra thanked god that he had reserved a table for them, being Hardy, Spencer, Aria, and himself. The woman checked her list of reservations for a split second before nodding and leading them inside. Ezra could feel eyes of the people still waiting in line burning the back of his head. It was _their_ fault they hadn't reserved.

Once they were all inside and seated in a table by the wall, a waitress came and silently handed each of them a menu. When she handed Ezra his however, she spoke up. "Mr. Fitz? It's me, your student from Rosewood High." Ezra looked up to find his student smiling at him.

"Calleigh," he recognized her instantly. She was wearing a tight black apron that highlighted her waist, and her silky blond hair cascaded down in beachy waves. It looked like she was about to walk in a fashion show, not take orders let alone serve food. Ezra knew her as the new Hanna Marin of Rosewood High. Other people called her the new Alison, but he never knew the legendary DiLaurentis. So in his eyes, she was a Hanna. "You work here in your spare time?"

"Yeah, it's not like I read or anything," she giggled, obviously flirting with him. Her eyes had that twinkle and a lock of hair was wrapped around her pointer finger, twisting in a clockwise direction. It's true, she wasn't the kind of girl who read… anything. Aria narrowed her eyes at the younger woman before her, shamelessly flirting with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend, who was oblivious to what his student was doing. Aria cleared her throat, shooting the waitress a fake smile.

"I'll have the special giant veggie wrap," Aria said coldly. "Want do you want, honey?" She leaned closer to Ezra, placing her hands on his upper arm. It was obvious that she was trying to show Ezra's student that she was his girlfriend. For one, she never called him honey. Ever. Ezra raised his eyebrows at how Aria was acting. Hardy and Spencer too, couldn't help but smirk. It took everything in them to not burst out laughing.

"Um, I don't know," Ezra looked back down at his menu. Calleigh was looking at Aria with furrowed eyebrows now, clearly not happy that she was 'marking her territory'.

"Is it like _all_ vegan?" Hardy asked, trying to change the atmosphere in their table. As hilarious as it was, he'd rather his friend not get into any trouble. He could see that Aria wasn't happy with Ezra for not introducing her as his girlfriend.

"It's a vegan restaurant. What do you think?" Calleigh answered bitterly, before paying her full attention back to Ezra. Hardy gave Spencer a look that said 'What did I do?', which she laughed at.

"There are fake meat," Aria offered up, looking up at her boyfriend's best friend. Or was it her best friend's boyfriend? She still couldn't believe the two terms applied to Hardy. She always knew that Hardy was one charming guy, but she would never had thought that Spencer would actually date him. To be honest, she was worried about her. She knew enough from Ezra's stories of Hardy that he wasn't one to commit. She didn't want to be a bitch and hold Hardy's past against him, but she just didn't want Spencer to get hurt.

"Actually, that sounds pretty good." Hardy closed his menu and rested onto the back of his chair, deciding on the roasted chicken. Fake, roasted chicken. "I'll have the roasted chicken," he told Calleigh, who was still smiling at Ezra. She didn't write down the order, as if Hardy hadn't said anything at all.

"I'll have the same," Ezra shrugged. He didn't notice Calleigh's lack of attention to everyone at the table but him.

"Hey, the three of us are having roasted chicken," Spencer suddenly spoke loudly, finally getting Calleigh's attention. She decided on roasted chicken too, not up to anything green tonight. The waitress finally scribbled down their orders. Hardy ordered white wine for the whole table and quickly sent her off, starting to get annoyed by her presence. Hardy and Spencer had a million jokes fighting to get out but from the look on Aria's face, they'd rather not say any of them.

"So that was my student," Ezra said, breaking the silence that had settled upon the group. "She's nice, right?"

"Are you _that_ clueless?" Aria was clearly annoyed. Her hands were off of him and the last thing she would say right now was 'Honey'. Ezra opened his mouth to ask what he did wrong, but knew that he shouldn't. From Hardy and Spencer's expressions, it was obvious asking would jut get him into more trouble. "_Calleigh_," Aria said her name in an irritated tone, "was hitting on you and you totally let her! You didn't even say anything about me being your girlfriend or the fact that you have one."

"She's my student, of course she wasn't hitting on me." He thought that what Aria was suggesting was crazy. Hardy however, let out a 'Dude' and shook his head. Only then did he realize that everyone thought Calleigh was flirting but him.

"Maybe next time someone hits on you, you won't _have_ a girlfriend to introduce," Aria told Ezra. Spencer's jaw dropped, shocked at what she heard. She always knew that Aria was the jealous type, but she had never seen her like this.

"I-I'm sorry," Ezra quickly said. "I didn't know, okay? I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say. He didn't even realize that the woman was hitting on him. Besides, she was his _student_. He wasn't sure if introducing his girlfriend was appropriate. Just as he said so, Calleigh was back with their drinks. As soon as she placed all of them on the table, Ezra cleared his throat and spoke up. "Calleigh, I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend."

"Do I know you?" Calleigh furrowed her eyebrows. "You look really familiar." Aria then realized her mistake for wanting Ezra to introduce her to a Rosewood High student. She might've seen Aria in one of the yearbooks that the school kept in the library. If Calleigh could connect the dots, she could definitely figure out that Ezra was once her teacher.

"Um, no. I don't think," Aria quickly replied. "Can you check on our order please? We're really hungry." She wanted Calleigh away before the girl could recognize her. "Okay, maybe you shouldn't have introduced me." Aria said once the waitress was gone, biting her bottom lip. Ezra simply raised both his hands in surrender and dropped it back onto his lap. Hardy and Spencer finally let out the laugh they had held back the whole time, clutching their stomachs.

"So how far back do you guys go?" Spencer asked Hardy and Ezra once she had calmed down. She had only known that they were very good old friends, but nothing detailed.

"We met in college. He was my roommate," Hardy said, resting his arm around Spencer's waist. The two were sitting on a couch, so they were seated very closely to each other. Practically sitting on each other's laps. It had been clear that the new couple was very hands-on, not leaving each other's side since the moment they arrived here. Ezra and Aria had gone ahead, dropping Abby and Mike off at Ella's place first. Abby was going to stay the night there with Mike. Hardy picked Spencer up not long after and drove here in his car. "What about you guys?"

"We've been close since middle school," Aria answered. The day Ali chose them to be in her 'clique' flashed in her mind. Who knew they all were going to be friends until now?

"We've been living together since we graduated high school," Spencer continued.

"Oh right, I've been meaning to ask." Hardy started. "Um, don't take this the wrong way because I am just _really_ curious. But why are you guys living together?" Spencer was relieved that that was what Hardy had wanted to ask. The way he started the question had worried her.

"I guess at first it was just a solution for living arrangements in New York after Spencer decided not to stay with Toby, but she ended up helping me take care of Abby so we still stayed together in Rosewood." Spencer had told her how easy it was to talk to Toby at his shop the other day, so bringing him up in conversations was now fine with Spencer. She had obviously moved on. Bringing him up in _this_ conversation however, was apparently a mistake. Spencer widened her eyes at Aria, who just realized that it was a complete mistake to mention Toby. Ezra had noticed the exchange of facial expressions between the women and caught on too.

"Who's Toby?" Hardy asked Aria, who couldn't come up with anything. She had no idea that Spencer and Hardy hadn't talked about exes yet. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. No one in the table talked, and Ezra cleared his throat to try to break the ice. The action backfired, and the tension grew thicker. He knew how serious Toby and Spencer were. They weren't just some random high school sweethearts. He actually thought that they would be the couple that would stay together. Hardy looked from Aria's guilty face to Ezra's uncomfortable one, figuring out that everyone knew this Toby except him. He finally faced Spencer and asked her, "Who's Toby?"

"He's my um, my ex from high school." Spencer stuttered. "We were going to go to New York together but things didn't work out." She explained shortly.

"Oh, sounds pretty serious," was all Hardy said. His hand fell from Spencer's waist onto the couch. There was a certain look in his eyes, a black cloud over his head. Spencer could see it, and she immediately knew what it was.

"Are you jealous?" She couldn't help but smile at this. She didn't know that he was one to get jealous. She secretly liked it. Ezra and Aria watched as Hardy's face showed exactly what he was feeling. Ezra had never seen his friend jealous. Well, there was one time when he had a serious relationship and the girl cheated on him. But that was the only time Ezra had seen him jealous.

"What? No, don't be ridiculous. You guys are over. I mean, you're over him right?" There was a slight panic in Hardy's voice, a doubt that Spencer still had feelings for this Toby. Whoever he was.

"Yes, I'm very much over him. And he feels the same way about me. Actually, he's getting married soon," Spencer brightened up at mentioning that. She knew it would definitely help her case, and she was right. Hardy's arm was back around her waist.

"Toby's getting married?" Ezra asked. Telling Ezra about it had slipped Aria's mind, but it's not like he _had_ to know. Although now that she thought about it, it was pretty big news.

"Yeah about that, he's marrying Ms. Lynch." Aria added.

"Wait a minute, our daughter's teacher? That Ms. Lynch?" Ezra asked with raised eyebrows. Aria simply nodded. "Oh now that I remember, I meant to tell you something," Ezra suddenly said. "I put up your tutoring flyers and I think I saw students taking some, and they seemed really interested."

"Really?" Aria's eyes brightened up. The previously edge in her voice due to Calleigh's flirting was completely gone. "Thank you so much, Ezra."

"You're welcome," he gave her a soft peck on the lips. The food soon came and they all dug in. To everyone's surprise, it was delicious. Aria couldn't resist saying 'I told you so' for at least ten times. Ezra even took a few bites of her giant wrap. And by giant she meant enormous.

* * *

"Did you see the look on his face?" Aria said, referring to Hardy's reaction of the reveal of Toby being Spencer's ex and how serious they were. "I felt horrible." The two of them were now riding up the elevator to Aria's loft. The subject of what had happened earlier tonight at dinner came up when Aria got a text from Spencer telling her that she was going to stay the night at Hardy's.

"Things turned out fine, Aria." Ezra tried to calm her down, softly drawing circles on her palm as he held her hand. The action soothed her, like it always did. "I mean, she _is_ staying over at his place." Aria couldn't help but chuckle.

"Do you know that this is the third time in the last week or so?" Aria asked, disbelief showing in her voice.

"Yeah, I noticed." Ezra too, let out a chortle. "Looks like the mention of Toby didn't ruin their night that much."

"Talking about exes…" Aria slowly started. "We haven't talked about the subject either." She wasn't sure how to bring up the topic before, but this seemed like the best time. Ezra simply nodded, a smiled etched on his face. "I'll start. After we broke up in New York, I dated a guy named Richard. And then there was George, and then Nathan, then Nick, and then Sam, then Leo.

"Is that all?" Ezra laughed nervously, half joking and half actually worried.

"Shut up," she playfully hit him on the arm. The lift then opened with a ding, and they stepped out.

"Were you ever… intimate with any of them?" Ezra felt weird asking this, but he wanted to know. It must have been hard juggling dating and taking care of Abby. The familiar guilt was back in the pit of his stomach, but he willed the feeling away. What's passed was past.

"Yes," Aria answered shortly. "Your turn."

"Well, there was Dee, and Anne, and Leila, and finally Tessa." Ezra looked into Aria's eyes before continuing, "but none of them held a candle compared to you."

"Better not," Aria giggled. "So were you… you know." She could say it, but she didn't need to. He asked the question first, he should know what she was asking.

"Yes," he too answered with a single word. "Aria," he stroked her hand to get her attention. She looked up at him, noticing that he had a new haircut. "I'm sorry about earlier tonight. The student."

"It's okay," she sighed. They had reached her doorstep, and she unlocked it. When she turned around to face Ezra however, he surprised her by pulling her flush against him. He immediately captured her lips in his own, and it only took her a second before she adjusted from the shock. She rested her arms around his neck, fiddling with the ends of his hair. Between letting Ezra's tongue slip in her mouth and getting her fingers tangled in his dark curls, she lost herself in their kiss. His lips soon left hers, and started kissing down her jaw line, to her neck, finding her collarbone. He nibbled on the soft skin, making her involuntarily moan. "Ezra," she slowly said. His only response was an 'Mhmm', focused on a single spot on her neck. To his surprise, Aria pulled away. He was going to ask what was wrong when she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the loft. She flicked on the lights and caught him off guard, pushing him against the door. He flipped them over, wanting control. Aria was now pushed up against the door, her feet no longer touching the ground. The familiar feeling of lust filled her body and she wrapped her legs around his waist, closing gap between them.

"Aria, wait." Ezra was now the one to pull away. He moved Aria's roaming hands off his back and placed them on his shoulders. "Maybe we should take a little break," things were starting to get too heated for him. If things got any further, there was no going back. "I thought you said you wanted to take things slow. Last time, you said we had too little official dates to do anything."

"Two dates is more than enough," Aria quickly said before expertly unbuttoning the brand new dress she had gotten earlier with Spencer. She only gave Ezra a second to fully take in the sight of her in just her lace underwear before going back to kissing him. He didn't need to be told twice. Aria was then carried off of her door in a second and into her room, by the man she had dreamed of doing just so a hundred times before.

**Review! I decided to not go to that much detail about their night. I mean, it's pretty obvious what they were going to do anyway. I'd also like to say sorry that i haven't updated for two weeks! I'm off of school for holiday right now and stayed at my grandma's house, which still does not have internet access. It was horrid. Anyways, the lack of internet got me mapping out the story and now I know how to get to where I wanted the story to go! So yes, I needed the internet hiatus hahha**

**Another thing I wanted to mention was that since Abby's started going to school, I've been digging around about preschool programs. Fortunately, UngluckLiebhaber helped me out a lot! So i'd like to say a special thank you to her! Love you xo**

**Reply to **

**UngluckLiebhaber: Yes, calling Ella 'grams' is a nod to Charmed! I absolutely love the show too!**

**HorseyGal0923: Yes, Abby knows that Ezra is her father. Thanks for the review!**

**To everyone else, thank you for reading/reviews/follows/favorites! Don't ever stop, love you xo**


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